Eighty-five legs in forty-four cadavera were dissected to determine the
course of the superficial peroneal nerve from its origin to its termination
as dorsal cutaneous nerves of the foot. Particular attention was paid to
the relationship of the nerve with the intermuscular septum between the
anterior and lateral compartments of the leg. In sixty-two (73 per cent) of
the legs, the nerve coursed within the lateral muscle compartment from its
origin to its exit through the crural fascia. In twelve (14 per cent) of
the legs, the nerve had a variable course in the lateral compartment,
crossed into the anterior compartment, and passed through the fascia. In
ten (12 per cent) of the legs, the nerve divided in two, with branches in
both the anterior and the lateral compartment. In one leg, the nerve never
lay deep to the peroneus longus but ran along the deep surface of the
fascia before exiting distally. The nerve or its branches passed through
the fascia three to eighteen centimeters proximal to the lateral
malleolus.