Arcuate artery of the foot

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Artery: Arcuate artery of the foot

Anterior tibial artery, dorsalis pedis artery and the muscles and bones of the leg - anterior view. (Arcuate very faintly labeled at bottom center.)
Latin	arteria arcuata pedis
Gray's	subject #161 637
Source	arteria dorsalis pedis
Vein	dorsal venous arch of the foot
Dorlands/Elsevier	a_61/12153476

The arcuate artery of the foot (metatarsal artery) arises a little anterior to the lateral tarsal artery; it passes lateralward, over the bases of the metatarsal bones, beneath the tendons of the Extensor digitorum brevis, its direction being influenced by its point of origin; and its anastomoses with the lateral tarsal and lateral plantar arteries.

This vessel gives off the second, third, and fourth dorsal metatarsal arteries, which run forward upon the corresponding Interossei dorsales; in the clefts between the toes, each divides into two dorsal digital branches for the adjoining toes.

At the proximal parts of the interosseous spaces these vessels receive the posterior perforating branches from the plantar arch, and at the distal parts of the spaces they are joined by the anterior perforating branches, from the plantar metatarsal arteries.

The fourth dorsal metatarsal artery gives off a branch which supplies the lateral side of the fifth toe.

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.