Femoral artery

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Artery: Femoral artery
Image:Gray546.png
Structures passing behind the inguinal ligament. (Femoral artery labeled at upper right.)
Image:Femoral artery and branches.gif
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

The femoral artery is a large artery in the muscles of the thigh.

Contents 1 Structure 1.1 Branches 2 Clinical significance 3 Use of the term superficial femoral artery 4 Additional images 5 External links

[edit] 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 Aortus Totalus, 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.

[edit] 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

[edit] Clinical significance

The femoral artery pulse can be palpated at the femoral triangle.edc

[edit] 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.)

[edit] Additional images

Gray344.png Structures surrounding right hip-joint.	Gray432.png Cross-section through the middle of the thigh.	Gray545.png Femoral sheath laid open to show its three compartments.	Gray549.png The left femoral triangle.
Gray550.png The femoral artery.	Gray1146.png The spermatic cord in the inguinal canal.	Gray1245.png Front of right thigh, showing surface markings for bones, femoral artery and femoral nerve.

[edit] External links

• SUNY Labs 12:05-0101
• Cross section at UV pelvis/pelvis-e12-15
• Image at umich.edu - pulse
• Diagram at MSU

v • d • e List of arteries of torso - abdomen
AA: Anterior	celiac left gastric: esophageal branches splenic: pancreatic branches (greater, dorsal) – short gastric – left gastro-omental common hepatic: proper hepatic (cystic), right gastric, gastroduodenal (right gastro-omental, superior pancreaticoduodenal, supraduodenal) SMA inferior pancreaticoduodenal – intestinal (jejunal, ileal, arcades, vasa recta)  – ileocolic (colic, anterior cecal, posterior cecal, ileal branch, appendicular)  – right colic – middle colic IMA left colic – sigmoid – superior rectal – marginal
AA: Posterior	visceral: middle suprarenal – renal (inferior suprarenal, ureteral) – gonadal (testicular ♂/ovarian ♀) parietal: inferior phrenic (superior suprarenal) – lumbar – median sacral terminal: common iliac (IIA, EIA)
IIA: Anterior	umbilical (superior vesical, to ductus deferens) – middle rectal – obturator (anterior branch, posterior branch) - inferior gluteal (accompanying of ischiadic nerve, crucial anastomosis) uterine ♀ (helicine, vaginal of uterine, ovarian of uterine, tubal of uterine) - vaginal ♀/inferior vesical ♂ internal pudendal: inferior rectal - perineal (urethral) - posterior scrotal ♂/labial ♀ - bulb of penis ♂/vestibule ♀ - deep artery of the penis ♂ (helicine)/clitoris ♀ - dorsal of the penis ♂/clitoris ♀
IIA: Posterior	iliolumbar (lumbar, iliac)  – lateral sacral – superior gluteal
EIA	inferior epigastric (cremasteric, round ligament) – deep circumflex iliac – femoral

v • d • e List of arteries of lower limbs
EI: Femoral	superficial epigastric - superficial iliac circumflex - external pudendal (superficial, deep/anterior scrotal arteries) - profunda femoris (lateral circumflex femoral, medial circumflex femoral, perforating) - descending genicular
Popliteal	anterior tibial - sural genicular: superior genicular (medial, lateral) - middle genicular - inferior genicular (medial, lateral)
Anterior tibial	dorsalis pedis: tarsal (lateral - medial) - arcuate - dorsal metatarsal/first dorsal metatarsal - deep plantar tibial recurrent (posterior, anterior) anterior malleolar (medial, lateral)
Posterior tibial	circumflex fibular - fibular medial plantar - lateral plantar (plantar arch, plantar metatarsal)

bg:Бедрена артерия

de:Arteria femoralis fr:Artère fémorale la:Arteria femoralis nl:Arteria femoralis ja:大腿動脈