Anatomy of Synovial Sheaths in the Talocrural Region Evaluated by Sheet Plastination

Abstract

Tendon sheaths are complex tubes wrapped completely around tendons. They are placed between two movable tissues to diminish friction when tendons pass either under ligaments or retinacula or pass through fascial slings or osseofibrous tunnels. The aim of this study was to show that the El2 plastination technique is a useful research tool for demonstrating different anatomical structures, e.g. tendon sheaths in the talocrural region. Tendon sheaths were injected with Xantopren® blue and plastinated via the E12 plastination procedure. Finally, the cured specimens were cut with a diamond wire saw into slices of 200um thick. We found that tendon sheaths in the talocrural region do not enclose tendons like a cylinder. They mimic an elongated bursa that minimizes friction between tendons and retinacula.