THE FEMORAL ARTERY 



685 



THE FEMORAL ARTERY (A. FEMORALIS) (Figs. 481 and 482). 



The femoral artery commences immediately behind Poupart's ligament, midway 

 between the anterior superior spine of the ilium and the symphysis pubis, and, 

 passing down the fore part and inner side of the thigh, terminates at the opening 

 in the Adductor magnus. at the junction of the middle with the lower third of the 

 thigh, where it becomes the popliteal artery. The vessel, at the upper part of 

 the thigh, lies in front of the hip-joint, on a line with the innermost part of the 

 head of the femur; in the lower part of its course it is in close relation with the 

 inner side of the shaft of the bone, and between these two parts the vessel is some 

 distance from the bone. The first inch and a half of the vessel is enclosed, 

 together with the femoral vein, in a fibrous sheath the femoral sheath. In the 

 upper third of the thigh it is contained in a triangular space called Scarpa's triangle, 

 and in this space it gives off its largest branch, the deep femoral. In the middle 

 third of the thigh it is contained in an aponeurotic canal called Hunter's canal. 

 That portion of the femoral artery which extends from Poupart's ligament to the 

 origin of the deep femoral is sometimes called the common femoral: its continua- 

 tion is the superficial femoral. 



FIG. 480. The relations of the femoral and internal abdominal rings, seen from within the abdomen. 



Right side. 



The femoral or crural sheath (Fig. 479) is a continuation downward of the 

 fasciae that line the abdomen, the transversalis fascia passing down in front of the 

 femoral vessels, and the iliac fascia descending behind them ; these fasciae are directly 

 continuous on the iliac side of the femoral arterv. but a small space exists between 

 the femoral vein and the point where they are continuous on the pubic side of that 

 vessel, which constitutes the femoral or crural canal (Fig. 479). The femoral 

 sheath is closely adherent to the contained vessels about an inch below the saphe- 

 nous opening, being blended with the areolar sheath of the vessels, but opposite 

 Poupart's ligament it is much larger than is required to contain them; hence the 

 funnel-shaped form which it presents. The outer border of the sheath is perfo- 

 rated by the femoral nerve. Its inner border is pierced by the internal saphenous 

 vein and numerous lymphatic vessels. In front it is covered by the iliac portion 

 of the fascia lata; and behind it is the pubic portion of the same fascia. 



