The Arterial Supply of the Lesser Metatarsal Heads: A Vascular Injection Study in Human Cadavers

Abstract

The possibility of avascular changes of the metatarsal heads following forefoot surgery has been previously documented. The aim of this study was to investigate the arterial supply of the lesser metatarsal heads with regard to osteotomies of these bones.

We used epoxy resin injections and a modified Spalteholz technique in human cadaveric specimens to demonstrate the intraosseous and extraosseous blood supply of the lesser metatarsals.

The metatarsal heads had two arterial sources:

The dorsal metatarsal arteries, which arose from the dorsalis pedis artery, and

The plantar metatarsal arteries, which are branches of the posterior tibial artery.

These two vessels typically anastomosed at two sites about the metatarsal heads, forming a vascular ring and provided an extensive extraosseous arterial network around the metatarsal heads. Small arterial branches of this network run distally on the metatarsal cortex to enter the bone of the metatarsal head. The nutrient arteries traversed the cortex of the metaphysis close to the capsular and ligamentous insertions to provide multiple branches for the supply of the subchondral bone.

Extensive capsular stripping during metatarsal head osteotomies results in damage to the medial and lateral head vessels.