Anatomy and metrics of the medial malleolus.

purposeThe medial malleolus (MM) is an important stabilization structure of the ankle. However, the metrics of individual parts of the MM has been dealt with only by a few studies. The aim of the present study was to obtain metrical data of individual parts of the MM taking into account their clinical relevance.

methodsFor the study we used adult male and female tibiae from the Pachner´s osteological collection. The study group comprised 298 tibiae. Each tibia was evaluated in terms of a detailed anatomy of the MM. The obtained data were further processed using a Microsoft Excel Office 2016 spreadsheet calculator.

resultsThe MM anatomy was described in detail, including measurements of the following parameters: length and width of the MM, at the base, height of the anterior colliculus, height of the posterior colliculus, distance between the apexes of the anterior and the posterior colliculi and depth of the intercollicular groove. The anatomical structure of the MM was constant and no significant variations were found.

conclusionAn accurate description of the MM is important in terms of the anatomy of the deltoid ligament. This complex structure having multiple parts originates on the MM. It can be stated that the anterior, subtalar part (pars tibionavicularis, pars tibiospring and pars tibiocalcanealis) originates on the medial surface of the anterior colliculus. The posterior, tibiotalar part originates in the intercollicular grove and on the posterior colliculus. This topography is important for classification of injuries to the medial structures of the ankle.