There are not many papers in which the anatomy of the medial gastrocnemius muscle (MGM) was studied in depth or in which the medial gastrocnemius muscle was used remotely as free muscle for functional transfer. OBJECTIVES: The authors present the results of dissecting the MGM and its neurovascular bundle, the innervation in particular, with the purpose of making an anatomical contribution to the study. METHODS: 40 specimens were dissected, including knee joint and leg (20 right legs and 20 left legs) of 40 adult cadavers (26 male and 14 female), 20 fixated with formaldehyde and 20 fresh cadavers. A detailed anatomical study was performed to evaluate the standard distribution, the pathway, the number, and the length of MGM innervation. RESULTS:In 95% of the cases, the medial sural nerve was seen to be a single motor branch, with a mean length of 3.29 cm. An average 1.66 cm in length can be gained by dissecting the epineurium, separating it from the medial popliteal nerve. CONCLUSION: The MGM has a neurovascular bundle with irrigation and terminal innervation that permits its functional free muscle transfer to upper limbs and not only as a local flap of the lower limbs.
Muscle, skeletal; Muscle, skeletal; Dissection; Cadaver; Transplants
