FEMORAL ARTERY
- Origin
- It is the continuation of external iliac artery. It begins behind the inguinal ligament at the midinguinal point
- extent and course
- passes downwards and medially
- first in femoral canal
- then in adductor canal
- at the lower end
- passes through an opening in adductor magnus
- to become continuous with popliteal arteery
- in the femoral triangle
- relations
- anteriorly
- Skin, superficial fascia, deep fascia and the anterior wall of the femoral sheath.
- posteriorly
- Psoas major, the pectineus, and the adductor longus. The posterior w all of the femoral sheath intervenes between these structures and the artery
- medially
- Just below the inguinal ligament the femoral vein is medial to the artery.
- However, the vein gradually crosses to the lateral side to lie posterior to the artery
- it is directly behind the artery at the apex of the femoral triangle, arid lateral to the lower end of the artery
- laterally
- branches
- The femoral artery traverses the triangle from its base at the midinguinal point to the apex. In the triangle, it gives off six branches, three superficial and three deep branches
- profunda femoris artery
- deep external pudendal artery
- muscular branches
Discussion