456 BRANCHES OF THE FEMORAL ARTERY. 



Relation to Veins. — The femoral vein is very close to the artery, both 

 being enclosed in tlie same sheath, and separated from each other only 

 by a thin partition of fibrous membrane. At the groin the vein lies in 

 the same plaue as the artery, and on the inner side ; but gradually 

 inclining backwards, it is placed behind it at the lower end of Scarpa's 

 space, and afterwards gets somewhat to 'the outer side. The deep 

 femoral vein, near its termination, crosses behind the femoral artery ; 

 and the long saphenous vein, as it ascends on the fore part of the 

 limb, lies to the inner side ; but it not unfrequently happens that a 

 superficial vein of considerable size ascends for some space directly over 

 the artery. 



Relation to Nerves. — At the groin the a)iterior cniral nerve lies a little 

 to the outer side of the femoral artery (about a quarter of an inch), 

 separated from the vessel by some fibres of the psoas muscle and by 

 the sheath and fascia. Lower down in the thigh, the Jon(/ saphenous 

 nerve accompanies the artery until this vessel perforates the adductor 

 magnus. There are likewise small cutaneous nerves which cross the 

 artery. 



BRxINCHEs. — The femoral artery gives off the following branches : — 

 some small and superficial, which are distributed to the integument 

 and glands of the groin and ramify on the low^er part of the abdomen, 

 viz., the external pudic (superior and infeiior), the superficial epigastric, 

 and the superficial circumflex iliac ; the great nutrient artery of the 

 muscles of t]ie thigh, named the deep femoral ; several muscular 

 branches ; and lastly, the anastomotic artery, which descends on the 

 inner side of the knee-joint. 



The portion of the femoral artery extending from its commencement to the 

 origin of the deep femoral, a part varying from an inch to two inches in length, 

 is sometimes distinguished by surgical writers as the eonniion femoral, and 

 described as dividing into the Kiiju-rjicial and dec]) femoral arteries. 



The external pndic arteries arise either separately or by a common 

 trunk from the inner side of the femoral artery. The superior, the 

 more superficial branch, courses upwards and inwards to the pubic 

 spine, crosses the external abdominal ring, passing in the male over the 

 spermatic cord, and is distributed to the integuments on the lower part 

 of the abdomen, and on the external organs of generation. The inferior 

 branch, more deeply seated, extends inwards, resting on the pectineus 

 muscle, and covered by the fascia lata, wliich it pierces on reaching 

 the inner border of the thigh, and is distributed to the scrotum in 

 the male, or to the labium in the female, its branches inosculating 

 with those of the superficial perineal artery. 



The superficial epigastric artery, arising from the femoral vessel, 

 about half an inch below Foupart's ligament, passes forwards througli the 

 fascia lata, and runs upwards on the abdomen in the superficial fascia 

 covering the external oblique muscle. Its branches, ascending nearly 

 as high as the umbilicus, anastomose with superficial branches of the 

 epigastric and internal mammary arteries. 



The superficial circumflex iliac artery runs outwards in the direc- 

 tion of Poupart's ligament towards the iliac spine, across the psoas and 

 iliacus muscles : to both of these it gives small branches, as also 



