A. Santucci

Anatomy of the Lisfranc joint complex.

The authors studied the Lisfranc joint complex using gross dissection and examination of anatomical sections of frozen samples in the frontal and sagittal planes. They distinguished a medial compartment, a central compartment, a lateral compartment, the secondary joint line, and the connections with the cuneoscaphoid articulation. The ligaments were divided on the basis of topography (dorsal, interosseous, and plantar) and course (longitudinal, oblique, and transverse). The dorsal and plantar ligaments reinforce the articular capsules. The interosseous ligaments are the strongest. A common characteristic of these ligaments is that they vary considerably in course, number, and insertions.

Plantar fibromatosis: an immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study.

The analogies between plantar fibromatosis and Du-puytrens disease (palmar fibromatosis) are well known. The latter is clinically more frequent and has been the object of extensive immunohistochemical and ultra-structural studies, with a view to investigating its patho-genesis. By contrast, such data on plantar fibromatosis are quite scarce. A histochemical, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural study was performed on nodule tissue from six patients who were subjected to total fasciectomy for plantar fibromatosis. The study of myo-fibroblasts revealed features suggestive of their fibro-blastic origin and evidenced a cytoskeleton and an extracellular filamentous system that could enable myofibroblasts to generate and exert the intracellular forces that contribute to the contraction of the aponeu-rosis. These aspects are similar to those observed in Dupuytrens disease and seem to lend support to the theory that the two diseases are expressions of the same disorder.

Anatomy and embryology of the talocalcaneal joint

Some aspects regarding the subtalar joint embryology, descriptive anatomy and microscopic anatomy of the various skeletal and capsulo-ligamentous components participating in forming and stabilising this joint are still controversial. In order to clarify these debated aspects, the present review was performed by a macroscopic and microscopic study of feet from embryos and fetuses. The present investigation highlights the subtalar joint as a peculiar single anatomo-functional entity due to its connections with the tibiotalar and Choparts joint and the peculiar anatomical features of the talus in which forces are transmitted to structures above and below.