232 SURGICAL ANATOMY OF THE 



lata detached, a triangular space is exposed which has 

 for its limits the following : its base, the crural arch ; its 

 external boundary, the sartorius ; its internal, the adduc- 

 tor longus. In the centre of this triangle so formed, 

 passing from the middle of its base to the apex (the 

 meeting of the sartorius and adductor longus), lie the 

 femoral vessels. The floor upon which they rest is formed 

 from without inwards by the iliacus, psoas, pectineus, 

 adductor longus, and part of the adductor brevis mus- 

 cles. The anterior crural nerve lies in the furrow be- 

 tween the iliacus and psoas muscles. The femoral artery 

 lies external to and a little superficial to its vein. The 

 sheath of the femoral vessels, which has been before de- 

 scribed (vide Crural Hernia), ceases at the division of the 

 common femoral into superficial and deep, and is formed 

 anteriorly by a prolongation of the fascia transversalis, 

 and posteriorly by the fascia iliaca, which furnish septa 

 between the common femoral vessels. The inner margin 

 of the psoas separates the artery from the hip-joint, and 

 passing behind the sheath is the branch of the anterior 

 crural nerve to the pectineus. Lying on the pectineus, 

 and outer surface of the adductor longus, are the deep 

 external pudic vessels, branches of the common femoral, 

 beneath the pubic portion of the fascia lata. 



On the outer side of the sartorius is the tensor vaginae 

 femoris, passing obliquely outwards, and backwards, to 

 be inserted into the fascia lata ; and between it and the 

 sartorius is the upper portion of the rectus femoris, with 

 some branches of the external circumflex vessels passing 

 outwards into its substance. Passing inwards towards 

 the articulation will be met with, from without, inwards, 

 beneath the sartorius and vessels, the lower portion of 

 the combined tendons of the psoas and iliacus in their 



