Femoral triangle

Femoral triangle
Drawing of the left femoral triangle - shows superior portion of the femoral vein.
Right femoral sheath laid open to show its three compartments
Latin	trigonum femoris
Gray's	subject #157 626
Dorlands/Elsevier	t_19/12823448

The femoral triangle (of Scarpa) is an anatomical region of the upper inner human thigh.

Boundaries

It is bounded by:

• (superiorly) the inguinal ligament
• (medially) the adductor longus muscle border) (medial border)
• (laterally) the sartorius muscle (medial border)

One mnemonic to remember the boundaries is "So I May Always Love Sally"

Its floor is formed by the iliopsoas and pectineus. Its roof is formed by the fascia lata.

The femoral artery and vein are enveloped within the femoral sheath.

Contents

It is important as a number of vital structures pass through it, right under the skin - most notably (from lateral to medial:

• the femoral nerve
• the femoral artery
• the femoral vein

it also contains the deep inguinal nodes.

Clinical significance

Since the femoral triangle provides easy access to a major artery, coronary angioplasty is often performed by entering the femoral artery at the femoral triangle. In first aid, heavy bleeding in the leg can be stopped by applying pressure to points in the femoral triangle.

Mnemonics

Several mnemonics have been created to remember the order of the nerve, artery, and vein in this triangle:

• lateral to medial - "NAVY": nerve, artery, vein, Y-fronts. (Y-fronts are a brand of underwear.)
• lateral to medial - "NAVEL" nerve, artery, vein, empty space, lymphatics.
• medial to lateral - "VAN": vein, artery, nerve. These three structures are found in the same order in the intercostal space, from top to bottom.
• medial to lateral - "vagina, artery, nerve"
• the phrase "venous near the penis" can be used to remember that the vein is more medial than the artery or nerve.

Additional images

• 

  Front and medial aspect of right thigh.

External links

• SUNY Labs 12:02-0101 - "Anterior and Medial Thigh Region: Boundaries of the Femoral Triangle"
• -483065779 at GPnotebook
• Femoral+triangle at eMedicine Dictionary
• Norman/Georgetown antthigh
• Diagram at washington.edu

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