Comparative anatomy of the arterial system of the foot in primates. 1. Macaque.

Using stereoscopic angiography, the entire arterial system of the foot of the macaque was analyzed. The arteria saphena, instead of the a. tibialis anterior, reaches the dorsum of the foot, and its branches supply most of the foot. The dorsal arteries are dominant as far as the metatarsal spaces of the lateral four toes. The a. metatarsea dorsalis II showed a tendency to be the single dominant artery and to give rise to even the a. digitalis communis plantaris IV through the catella plantaris distalis. This tendency was observed more clearly in other macaques species than the Japanese monkey. The perforating branch at the second proximal metatarsal space forms the arcus plantaris profundus, which is accompanied by the deep branch of the nervus plantaris lateralis. Beneath the arch, the catella plantaris proximalis is formed on the metatarsal bones among the perforating branches of the aa. metatarseae dorsales. The a. tibialis posterior forms the arcus plantaris superficialis, whose thin branches commonly enter the aa. digitales communes plantares.