Muscular branches of fibular artery

The muscular branches of the fibular artery supply the lateral compartment of the leg, including the fibularis (peroneus) longus and brevis muscles, and also provide branches to the lateral head of the soleus muscle. These branches arise from the fibular artery, which courses posterolaterally along the fibula, deep to the flexor hallucis longus, and gives off several muscular branches along its length.

The branches to the lateral head of the soleus muscle are variable in number (typically 1–3) and originate at variable distances from the origin of the fibular artery: most commonly within the first 6 cm, but can be found as proximally as 0–2.9 cm and as distally as 6.93 cm from the artery’s origin. This segmental vascular supply is clinically relevant for flap design and pedicle length during fibular flap harvest.

The fibular artery also gives off muscular branches to the fibularis longus and brevis muscles, predominantly supplying their proximal and distal portions from a posterior approach. The anterior tibial artery provides additional supply to the proximal and middle thirds of these muscles via a longitudinal branch in the lateral compartment, but the fibular artery’s muscular branches are the main posterior contributors.