148 



DISSECTION OF THE THIGH. 



extent 



base and 

 sides ; 



roof and 

 floor. 



Position of 

 femoral 

 artery ; 



of vein : 

 of anterior 



the trunks of the blood-vessels of the thigh, and the anterior crural 

 nerve, with lymphatics and fat. It extends commonly over the 

 upper third of the thigh ; but the length varies with the breadth 

 of the sartorius, and the height at which this muscle crosses 

 inwards. 



The base of the space is at Poupart's ligament ; externally it is 

 bounded by the inner border of the sartorius ; and internally by 

 the inner border of the adductor longus. 



Towards the surface it is covered by the fascia lata, and by the 

 integuments with inguinal glands and superficial vessels. The 

 floor slopes backwards on each side towards the middle of the space ; 

 it is constructed externally, where it is of small extent, by the 

 conjoined psoas and iliacus (B) ; and internally by the pectineus 

 and adductor longus muscles (E and F), between and behind which, 

 near the large vessels, is a small piece of the adductor brevis. 



The femoral artery runs through the deepest part of the hollow, 

 lying slightly outside the centre of the space, and supplies small 

 cutaneous offsets, as well as a large deep branch, the prof unda ; and 

 a small offset (external pudic) is directed from it to the scrotum 

 across the inner boundary. On the inner side of the artery and 

 close to it is placed the femoral vein, which is here joined by the 

 saphenous and profunda branches. About a third of an inch 

 crural nerve. ex ^ erna j ^ ^he vessel is situate the large anterior crural nerve 

 which lies deeply at first between the iliacus and psoas, but after- 

 wards becomes more superficial and divides into branches. 

 Lymphatics. Deep lymphatics accompany the femoral vessels, and are continued 

 into the iliac glands in the abdomen ; they are joined by the superficial 

 lymphatics. 



FEMORAL ARTERY (fig. 57 and fig. 59, p. 153) This vessel is a 

 continuation of the external iliac, and extends from the lower border 

 of Poupart's ligament to the opening in the adductor magnus 

 muscle ; at that spot it passes into the ham, and takes the name of 

 popliteal. Occupying three-fourths of the length of the thigh, the 

 course of the vessel will be indicated, during rotation outwards of 

 the limb with the knee-joint half bent, by a line drawn from a 

 point midway between the symphysis pubis and the anterior 

 superior iliac spine, to the prominent tuberosity of the inner condyle 

 of the femur. 



In the upper part of its course the artery lies rather internal to 

 the head of the femur, and is comparatively superficial, being un- 

 covered by muscle ; but lower down it is placed along the inner 

 side of the shaft of that bone, and is beneath the sartorius muscle. 

 This difference in its relations allows of a division of the arterial 

 trunk into two portions, an upper, superficial, and a lower, deep. 



The upper part of the artery (fig. 57, a), which is now laid bare, 

 is contained in Scarpa's triangular space, and is from three to four 

 inches long. Its position in that hollow may be ascertained by the 

 line before mentioned. 



relations to Encased at first in the crural sheath for about two inches, it is 

 around- covered by the skin and the superficial fascia, and by the fascia 



Femoral 

 artery: 

 extent ; 



position to 

 femur and 



around 



division 

 into two. 



Superficial 

 portion : 



