Femoral artery
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| Artery: Femoral artery | |
|---|---|
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| Structures passing behind the inguinal ligament. (Femoral artery labeled at upper right.) | |
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| Femoral artery and its major branches - right thigh, anterior view. | |
| Latin | arteria femoralis |
| Gray's | subject #157 623 |
| Supplies | anterior compartment of thigh |
| Source | external iliac artery |
| Branches | Superficial epigastric artery Superficial iliac circumflex Superficial external pudendal Deep external pudendal Deep femoral artery |
| Vein | femoral vein |
| MeSH | Femoral+Artery |
| Dorlands / Elsevier | a_61/12154275 |
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The femoral artery is a large artery in the muscles of the thigh.
Structure
The femoral artery is a continuation of the external iliac artery, which comes from the abdominal aorta.
The external iliac artery becomes known as the femoral artery after it passes under the inguinal ligament. For a while at this location, (the femoral triangle), it is sometimes referred to as the common femoral, because it has not yet branched.
It usually gives off a branch known as the profunda femoris artery or the deep artery of the thigh, while continuing down the thigh medial to the femur. (The profunda femoris is even closer to the femur, and is more posterior).
The femoral artery goes through the adductor hiatus (a hole in the tendon of adductor magnus), into the posterior of the knee. Passing between the condyles of the femur, it becomes the popliteal artery of the popliteal fossa.
Branches
The femoral artery usually gives off the following branches:
- superficial epigastric artery
- Superficial circumflex iliac artery
- Superficial external pudendal artery
- Deep external pudendal artery
- Deep femoral artery
- Descending genicular artery
Clinical significance
The femoral artery pulse can be palpated at the femoral triangle.
Use of the term superficial femoral artery
Some specialist physicians (e.g. radiologists, vascular surgeons) call the femoral artery the superficial femoral artery after the profunda femoris artery branch point (to differentiate the femoral artery segments before and after the branch point). This term, historically, has not been used by anatomists and has fallen out of favour with most physicians because it has led to considerable confusion with its accompanying vein, the femoral vein, which if called superficial femoral vein might incorrectly be assumed to be a superficial vein, as opposed to a deep vein. (See article on femoral vein for more detailed discussion.)
Additional images
 Structures surrounding right hip-joint. |
 Cross-section through the middle of the thigh. |
 Femoral sheath laid open to show its three compartments. |
 The left femoral triangle. |
 The femoral artery. |
 The spermatic cord in the inguinal canal. |
 Front of right thigh, showing surface markings for bones, femoral artery and femoral nerve. |
External links
- SUNY Labs 12:05-0101
- Cross section at UV pelvis/pelvis-e12-15
- Image at umich.edu - pulse
- Diagram at MSU
List of arteries of lower limbs | |
|---|---|
| EI: Femoral | superficial epigastric - superficial iliac circumflex
external pudendal: superficial - deep (anterior scrotal) profunda femoris: lateral circumflex femoral (descending, transverse, ascending) - medial circumflex femoral (ascending, superficial, deep, acetabular) - perforating descending genicular (saphenous branch, articular branches) |
| Popliteal | sural genicular: superior genicular (medial, lateral) - middle genicular - inferior genicular (medial, lateral) |
| Anterior tibial | tibial recurrent (posterior, anterior)
anterior malleolar (medial, lateral) dorsalis pedis: tarsal (medial, lateral) |
| Posterior tibial | circumflex fibular - fibular medial plantar - lateral plantar |
| Arches | arcuate: dorsal metatarsal/first dorsal metatarsal - deep plantar - dorsal digital arteries plantar arch: plantar metatarsal - common plantar digital - proper plantar digital |
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
