Sural nerve

The sural nerve (short saphenous nerve), formed by the junction of the medial sural cutaneous with the peroneal anastomotic branch, passes downward near the lateral margin of the tendo calcaneus, lying close to the small saphenous vein, to the interval between the lateral malleolus and the calcaneus.

It runs forward below the lateral malleolus, and is continued as the lateral dorsal cutaneous nerve along the lateral side of the foot and little toe (via a dorsal digital nerve), communicating on the dorsum of the foot with the intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve, a branch of the superficial peroneal.

In the leg, its branches communicate with those of the posterior femoral cutaneous.

It is often used for nerve biopsy, as well as the donor nerve when a nerve graft is performed.