634 



ANGIOLOGY 



the tibial collateral ligament, at the anterior border of which it ascends to the front 

 and medial side of the joint, to supply the upper end of the tibia and the articula- 

 tion of the knee, anastomosing with the lateral inferior and medial superior genic- 

 ular arteries. The lateral inferior genicular runs lateral ward above the head of the 

 fibula to the front of the knee-joint, passing in its course beneath the lateral head 

 of the Gastrocnemius, the fibular collateral ligament, and the tendon of the Biceps 

 femoris. It ends by dividing into branches, which anastomose with the medial 

 inferior and lateral superior genicular arteries, and with the anterior recurrent 

 tibial artery. 



Descending branch of 

 lateral femoral circumflex 



Lateral superior genicida/r 



Highest genicular 



Musculo-articular branch of 

 highest genicular 



Saphenous branch of highest 

 genicular 



Medial superior genicular 



Lateral inferior gemcular 



&TA_jUOir/ 



Medial inferior genicular 

 /V.'fflK IV. ' T ii,imU7/ 

 Fibular 



Anterior recurrent tibial 

 Anterior tibial 



FIG. 552. Circumpatellar anastomosis. 



The Anastomosis Around the Knee-joint (Fig. 552) . Around and above the patella, 

 and on the contiguous ends of the femur and tibia, is an intricate net- work of vessels 

 forming a superficial and a deep plexus. The superficial plexus is situated between 

 the fascia and skin around about the patella, and forms three well-defined arches : 

 one, above the upper border of the patella, in the loose connective tissue over the 

 Quadriceps femoris; the other two, below the level of the patella, are situated in 

 the fat behind the ligamentum patellae. The deep plexus, which forms a close 

 net-work of vessels, lies on the lower end of the femur and upper end of the tibia 

 around their articular surfaces, and sends numerous offsets into the interior of the 

 joint. The arteries which form this plexus are the two medial and the two lateral 

 genicular branches of the popliteal, the highest genicular, the descending branch 

 of the lateral femoral circumflex, and the anterior recurrent tibial. 



The Anterior Tibial Artery (A. Tibialis Anterior) (Fig. 553). 



The anterior tibial artery commences at the bifurcation of the popliteal, at the 

 lower border of the Popliteus, passes forward between the two heads of the Tibialis 



