[The arterial blood supply of the tibial and practical consequences].

In the periosteum of the human tibia, the arterial blood supply shows a general sectorial angioarchitecture. There are 4 segments: proximal and distal 1/5, proximal and distal diaphysis. The proximal 1/5 of the tibial periosteum is supplied with blood by the aa. recurrentes tibiales anterior et posterior and the aa. inferiores medialis et lateralis genus. At the proximal diaphysis (next 3/10 of the tibia) periosteal branches arise from the a. tibialis anterior and the a. tibialis posterior. The distal diaphysis (following 3/10 below the middle of the tibia) is nourished exclusively by semicircular rami periostales of the a. tibialis anterior, which move around the bone from both sides and join with each other at the facies medialis. It is the only sector, which is supplied by a single main artery. Concerning the periosteal blood supply of the distal 1/5 of the tibia 2 different types are found. In 2/3 of the cases the lateral side is nourished by a great vessel of the a. fibularis, which is supported by branches arising from the a. tibialis anterior. In 1/3 of the cases this vessel of the a. fibularis is absent and rami periostales of the a. tibialis anterior nourish the lateral aspect of the distal tibia alone. The dorsal region is supplied in all cases by rami of the a. fibularis and a. tibialis posterior. On the medial side the periosteal nourishment is ensured only by anastomoses. Both the facies lateralis and the facies posterior are supplied by direct branches, which arise from the main arteries of the lower leg.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)