Operative anatomy of nerves encountered in the lateral approach to the distal part of the fibula.

We dissected fifty legs from twenty-six cadavera to determine the origin and frequency of nerves that crossed the line of a lateral approach to the distal part of the fibula. A branch of the sural or common peroneal nerve, or both, that was at least one millimeter in diameter crossed the line of the operative approach in eleven legs (22 per cent) and was within five millimeters of the anterolateral border of the fibula in twenty-seven legs (54 per cent). We recommend that a meticulous operative technique be used during exposure of the distal part of the fibula to prevent paresthesias or painful neuromas resulting from the inadvertent transection of these small nerves.