Corpus: Posterior tibial artery

The posterior tibial artery is the direct continuation of the popliteal artery.

The posterior tibial artery begins at the lower edge of the popliteus muscle and runs with the tibial nerve and its accompanying veins under the tendinous arch of the soleus muscle into the deep flexor ligament of the lower leg. Dorsal to the medial malleolus, it finally reaches the surface. From there it continues distally through the malleolar canal (tarsal tunnel) to the sole of the foot, where it divides into the medial plantar artery and the lateral plantar artery.

The posterior tibial artery gives off branches such as:

• Fibular artery
• Circumflex fibular branch
• Muscular branches: to the surrounding musculature
• Nutritional tibial branches: to the tibia
• Nutritional fibular branches: to the fibula
• Medial malleolar branches: to the medial malleolus or medial malleolar network
• Calcaneal branches: to the heel or calcanear network

In clinical anatomy, the vascular section of the popliteal artery between the exit of the anterior tibial artery and the junction of the fibular artery is called the tibiofibular trunk.

The posterior tibial artery can be palpated on the medial malleolus as one of the two foot pulses.