Abstract
The contents of the plantar intermetatarsal tunnel (PIMT) and the relationship between
the common plantar interdigital nerve (CPIN) and the PIMT were recorded. The width
of the PIMT was measured at the metatarsal neck (MTN), metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint
and the base of the proximal phalanx (BPP). The length of the deep transverse metatarsal
ligament (DTML), the PIMT and the intracapsular ligament (ICL) were also measured.
The PIMT was revealed to be a narrow osseofibrous tunnel divided into 3 segments by
the DTML: the distal section, the area under the DTML (middle) and the proximal section.
The length of the middle section was 12.77 mm in the second intermetatarsal (IM) space
and 10.18 mm in the third IM space. The lengths of the distal sections were 15.52
and 14.95 mm in the second and third IM spaces, respectively. There was some soft
tissue between the CPIN and PIMT, and the CPIN was observed not to glide freely within
the tunnel. The widths of the PIMT at the MTN, MTP joint and BPP were respectively
2.87, 2.56, and 3.42 mm in the second IM space and 3.10, 2.68 and 3.61 mm in the third
IM space. The ICL lies between the capsules of the MTP joint, and the length of the
ICL was 2.76 and 3.03 mm in the second and third IM spaces, respectively. The PIMT
was found to be a complex spatial structure, and the ICL might prevent the CPIN from
being squeezed into the IM space.
Level of Clinical Evidence
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 26, 2022
Footnotes
Financial Disclosure: The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Conflict of Interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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