Common peroneal neuropathy due to an anatomical variant course of the fibular nerve in a patient with an accessory gastrocnemius tertius muscle.

Abstract

An accessory head of the gastrocnemius muscle, known as the gastrocnemius tertius (GT), is the most common anatomical variation of the gastrocnemius muscle. While often asymptomatic, this variant can occasionally compress adjacent structures. We report the case of a 61-year-old man with chronic lower limb pain, found to have a unilateral GT muscle with a concurrent anatomical variant course of the common peroneal nerve. MRI revealed fascicular thickening and increased T2 signal intensity within the nerve, suggestive of neuritis. This is, to our knowledge, the first reported case of symptomatic common peroneal neuropathy caused by the combined presence of a GT muscle and an anatomically variant peroneal nerve course. Recognition of such variants is crucial for accurate diagnosis and clinical decision-making in patients with lower extremity neuropathy.