Morphological variations and accessory ossicles in the peroneal and tibialis muscles

This study describes five bilateral anatomical variations in the feet of a 97-year-old male cadaver. Following routine dissection, all variants were measured and documented. Three accessory tendons and two accessory ossicles were identified. Bilateral accessory tendons were present from the tibialis anterior (type II), peroneus tertius (type III), and peroneus brevis muscles. Accessory tendon length was 36–104 mm and width was 1–3 mm each inserting more distally then the main tendon. Accessory ossicles were identified as an accessory navicular and os peroneum, respectively. Individually, each variation has varying prevalence rates in the literature, but to date, no known studies have been published describing the combined presence of all five bilateral variations. The acknowledgement of multi-variant cases such as this one may be helpful in the clinical setting, particularly for patients with pathology or for those undergoing foot and ankle surgery.