Vascular Foramina of Talus in North Indian Population: A Dry Bone Study

Background: The talus, which serves as a bony connection between the leg and foot, is the foundation of the medial longitudinal arch. Its main role is to stabilize the ankle joint through ligaments without any muscular attachments. Hence, the vessels are closely related to bony surfaces for the blood supply. The late consequence of talus fracture led to avascular necrosis (AVN). Knowing the vascular foramina can assist one in better comprehending the vascularity of the various talus surfaces. Hence, the knowledge of the distribution of nutrient foramina in the talus is helpful in assessing the jeopardy of damage to vessels during surgical interventions and the likelihood of AVN. Aim and Objective: The aim of this study was to describe the dispersion of foramina for vessels on the talus. In every aspect of the body and neck surfaces of the talus, the distribution of nutritional foramina was counted and macroscopically analyzed. Materials and Methods: A total of 600 human tali dry bone from the Anatomy Department's Osteology Laboratory at King George's Medical University in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh served as the study's subject. By inserting a k wire of 0.5 mm diameter through each surface of the talus' neck and body and using a hand lens, the number and size of foramina for vessels on each surface were examined. Results: Medial, superior, lateral, and inferior surfaces of the talus' neck had vascular foramina. On observing the talus body, its medial, lateral, and posterior surfaces had foramina for vessels. In our research, we noted that most of the foramina for vessels were located on the inferior surface of the neck with a range of 2-24, which is more as compared to its lateral surface, and the majority were located on the medial surface of the body range of 1-15 which are more as compared to the lateral surface of the talus bone. Foramina of more than 0.5 mm in size accounted for 72.83%, with foraminal indices ranging from 39.04% to 69.99% of the inferior surface of tali. Conclusion: The orthopedic, vascular, and podiatric surgeons must be aware of the location of vascular foramina while performing procedures on the hindfoot. Because there is less vascular foramina on the lateral approach compared to other surfaces, we believe this method would be more beneficial for surgical procedures on the talus.