Study of ten anatomical variants of the foot and ankle

This study examined the occurrence rate of ten lower extremity anatomical variants occurring over a 6-year period from 1988 to 1994 in a sample range of 166 to 279 cadavers at the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences. Literature review of these anomalies shows similar findings for all presented structures with the exception of two. The peroneus quartus muscle was found to be significantly less prevalent than previous studies have indicated. This difference may be attributed to the larger sample size used in this study or differences of interpretation of the definition of the peroneus quartus muscle. Additionally, the flexor digitorum brevis tendon to the fifth digit was found to be absent much more than Sarrafian reports in a total sample size of 926. The importance of these anatomical variants, both in surgery and while using advanced diagnostic imaging such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, should be realized by the podiatric physician. Awareness of these variants will decrease confusion when considering treatment options.