FASCIiE OF THE HIP AND THIGH. 227 



Poupart's ligament, is placed tke sapJienous opening, an aperture in the 

 fascia lata through which the internal saphenous vein passes to join the 

 femoral vein, and which receives special attention from its being the 

 place of exit of femoral hernia. The outer part of this opening lies in 

 front of the femoral artery, and is bounded externally by a crescentic 

 margin, the falciform border, which crosses the surfiice of the infundi- 

 bulitbrm sheath of the femoral vessels. This margin in the middle of 

 its extent is continued into looser tissue, but superiorly and inferiorly 

 it ends in two more distinct incurved extremities, the superior and 

 inferior cornua. The inferior cornu, the most completely defined part 

 of the margin, lies in the angle between the internal saphenous and the 

 femoral veins, below their junction ; while the superior cornu forms a 

 larger curve, the inner extremity of which, often cdllQdi femoral ligament, 

 passing completely to the inner side of the femoral sheath, is attached 

 to the front of Gimbernat's ligament. 



It is customary to call the parts of the fascia lata which are placed 

 external and internal to the saphenous opening the iliac and inibic 

 imr lions. The iliac portion is intimately connected above with Pou- 

 part's ligament, as well as with the fascia transversalis and deep layer 

 of the superficial fascia of the abdomen, and internally forms the falci- 

 form margin of the saphenous opening ; the pubic portion, attached 

 superiorly to the pectineal line, passes on its outer side deeply behind 

 the sheath of the vessels, with which it is connected, and is continued 

 into the fasciee between the muscles. 



The fascia lata is perforated in many places by foramina, wnich 

 allow the passage of the cutaneous nerves and blood-vessels. 



The fascia lata has various deep processes. One of these, leaving 

 the main fascia at the insertion of the tensor vaginae femoris muscle, 

 passes upwards within that muscle as a strong flat band on the surface 

 of the vastus externus, and is attached superiorly to the ilium above 

 the origin of the posterior head of the rectus femoris. Two processes, 

 the external and internal intermuscular septa, bind the fascia to the 

 femur in the lower part of the thigh : the external septum, situated 

 between the vastus externus muscle and the short head of the biceps, 

 is inserted into the linea aspera from the lower border of the tendon of 

 the gluteus maximus to the outer condyle of the bone : the internal 

 septum, which is much thinner, is inserted into the femur between the 

 vastus internus and the adductor muscles. 



Slieath of the Femoral Vessels. — The femoral vessels are surrounded 

 by an investment of fascia, which in its upper part is particularly dis- 

 tinct, and receives the name of the crural slieath. This sheath, com- 

 mencing at the deep crural arch, is continuous with the fascia trans- 

 versalis and fascia iliaca of the cavity of the abdomen. Its outer 

 border descends in contact with the artery, while its inner border is 

 inclined outwards from the margin of Gimbernat's ligament, and comes 

 in contact with the vein at the distance of less than an inch lower 

 down : the sheath is therefore funnel-shaped. It is divided into three 

 compartments, separated by thin septa : the outermost contains the 

 artery, the middle one the vein, and the innermost forms a space occupied 

 at its upper end by the crural ring, and in which there is generally a 

 lymphatic gland and some fat. Through this passage femoral liernis 

 descends, and on this account it has been named the crural canal. (See 

 later, the special account of Hernia.) 



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