Olewnik Łukasz, Landfald Ingrid C, Domosławska Daria, Ruzik Kacper, Triantafyllou George, Piagkou Maria, Vázquez Teresa
Department of Clinical Anatomy, Mazovia Academy in Płock, Płock, Poland.
"VARIANTIS" Research Laboratory, Department of Clinical Anatomy, Mazovian Academy in Płock, Płock, Poland.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2025 Aug 14;13:1647407. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1647407. eCollection 2025.
The fibularis brevis muscle (FBM)is a key stabilizer of the lateral ankle, yet its anatomy exhibits a notable degree of variability. While often overshadowed by the fibularis longus, FBM and its tendon (FBT) play critical roles in foot eversion, proprioception, and surgical reconstruction. However, inconsistent terminology and limited integrative studies have hindered comprehensive clinical understanding.
This review synthesizes data from developmental anatomy, fetal and adult cadaveric dissections, comparative morphology across vertebrates, and clinical imaging. Anatomical classifications of the FBT and fibularis digiti quinti (FDQ) were evaluated alongside their embryological origins, phylogenetic trends, imaging correlates, and surgical relevance.
A unified classification of FBT (Types I-IV) and FDQ (Types 1-3) is proposed, reflecting morphological, developmental, and radiological patterns. The FBM muscle demonstrates modular variability that parallels phylogenetic adaptations from complete absence in certain cursorial mammals to hypertrophy in arboreal primates. Variant tendinous insertions and accessory fascicles may mimic pathology in MRI or complicate surgical dissection.
FB represents a morpho-evolutionary continuum rather than a static anatomical unit. Recognition of its variants through improved classification, imaging protocols, and evolutionary insight is essential for anatomists, radiologists, and surgeons. This integrative approach advances the clinical and biological understanding of lateral leg musculature.
腓骨短肌是踝关节外侧的关键稳定肌，但其解剖结构存在显著变异。尽管腓骨短肌常被腓骨长肌掩盖，但其及其肌腱在足部外翻、本体感觉和手术重建中发挥着关键作用。然而，术语不一致和综合研究有限阻碍了全面的临床理解。
本综述综合了发育解剖学、胎儿和成人尸体解剖、跨脊椎动物的比较形态学以及临床影像学的数据。对腓骨短肌腱和小趾展肌的解剖分类及其胚胎起源、系统发育趋势、影像学关联和手术相关性进行了评估。
提出了腓骨短肌腱（I-IV型）和小趾展肌（1-3型）的统一分类，反映了形态学、发育学和放射学模式。腓骨短肌表现出模块化变异，这与系统发育适应性相似，从某些有蹄类哺乳动物中完全缺失到树栖灵长类动物中肥大。变异的肌腱附着和副束可能在MRI中模拟病变或使手术解剖复杂化。
腓骨短肌代表了一个形态进化连续体，而不是一个静态的解剖单位。通过改进分类、影像学方案和进化洞察力来识别其变异，对解剖学家、放射科医生和外科医生至关重要。这种综合方法推进了对小腿外侧肌肉组织的临床和生物学理解。
