Femoral canal

Femoral canal
Femoral sheath laid open to show its three compartments. (Femoral canal visible but not labeled.)
Structures passing behind the inguinal ligament. (Femoral canal visible but not labeled.)
Latin	canalis femoralis
Gray's	subject #157 625
Dorlands/Elsevier	c_04/12208603

The lateral compartment of the femoral sheath contains the femoral artery, and the intermediate the femoral vein, while the medial and smallest compartment is named the femoral canal, and contains some lymphatic vessels and a lymph gland imbedded in a small amount of areolar tissue. The femoral canal is conical and measures about 1.25 cm. in length.

It should not be confused with the nearby adductor canal.

Clinical significance

The entrance to the femoral canal is the femoral ring, through which bowel can sometimes enter, causing a femoral hernia.

See also

• Femoral ring

External links

• Norman/Georgetown antthigh (femoralsheath)
• Diagram at NHS
• http://www.med.mun.ca/anatomyts/digest/abwall.htm

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.