Illustrated Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation: Opus II: Cardiovascular System: Arteries: Lower Limb

Femoral Artery

Ronald A. Bergman, PhD
Adel K. Afifi, MD, MS
Ryosuke Miyauchi, MD
Peer Review Status: Internally Peer Reviewed

The femoral artery may arise from the inferior gluteal or internal iliac, leave the pelvis, and traverse the back of the thigh with the sciatic nerve to the popliteal space. The external iliac, under these circumstances, ends in the deep (profunda) femoral or lateral circumflex, or some other branch of the femoral.

A doubling of the femoral artery may occur below the origin of the deep femoral; the doubled vessel may reunite in the distal thigh.

The femoral vein may remain on the medial side of the artery throughout its course in the thigh, or it may be doubled, especially in the adductor canal. There is often a plexiform arrangement around the artery in this situation.

The femoral may give rise to the inferior epigastric, deep circumflex iliac, lateral femoral circumflex, medial femoral circumflex, iliolumbar, accessory femoral circumflex (medial and lateral), descending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex, and fourth or lowest perforating artery (great femoral nutrient or arteria femoris magna). The fourth perforating artery sometimes splits distally into an anterior and posterior tibial; it may also provide the medial superior articular artery to the knee joint, the dorsal artery of the penis, the obturator, and/or a great saphenous artery. The great saphenous artery courses between adductor magnus and vastus medialis, pierces the crural fascia below the knee, and runs with the saphenous vein to the medial malleolus or ends at the knee.

Image 81, Image 128A, Image 128B, Image 361, Image 362, Image 363, Image 464, Image 465, Image 466, Image 468

Deep (Profunda):

Image 360X, See Image 362, See Image 363, See Image 365

References

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