Arteria tibialis antica. 



233 



580. Course of the Ante- 

 rior Tibial Artery. 



The popliteal artery divides 

 into the anterior and posterior 

 tibial arteries: 



1. The anterior tibial, 

 Art. tibialis antica, passes through 

 the upper interosseous space to the 

 anterior surface of the interosseous 

 membrane and lies at first between 

 the M. tibialis anticus and M. exten- 

 sor longus digitorum, further down be- 

 tween M. tibialis anticus and M. exten- 

 sor pollicis longus. At the ankle-joint 

 it lies upon the capsule and, under the 

 name of dorsal artery of the 

 foot, Art. dorsalis pedis, passes to 

 the dorsum of the foot. Its bran- 

 ches are: 



a) The recurrent tibial, 

 Arteriae recurrentes tibiales, to the 

 Rete articulare genu ; 



b) Muscular branches, 

 Eami musculares, 10 20 in number, 

 for the muscles at the front of the leg ; 



c) Two anterior malleo- 

 1 a r, Arteriae malleolares anteriores, an 

 external and an internal, which 

 help to form the Rete matteolare. 



From the Art. dorsalis pedis arise 

 (see Fig. 581): 



a) The tar sal, Art. tarsea, to the 

 outer border of the foot, where it 

 anastomoses with the external anterior 

 malleolar and the metatarsal arteries ; 



b) The metatarsal, Art. meta- 

 tarsea, arises further down either alone 

 or together with the tarsal artery, and 

 forms with it, at the outer border of 

 the foot, an arch, the Arcus pedis dor- 

 salis. It gives off three dorsal inter- 

 osseous arteries, which divide into 

 dorsal digital branches, Arteriae 

 digitales pedis dor sales, and an exter- 

 nal digital, Art. digitalis dorsalis 

 externa, for the little toe. 



ftete artic. 

 gen 



A. 



A. malleoL 

 ant. eat. 



