THE FEMORAL ARTERY 277 



along the inner margin of the crest. On a line with the anterior 

 superior spine of the ilium it ascends between the transversalis 

 and internal oblique muscles. 



THE ARTERIES OF THE LOWER EXTREMITY 



The Femoral Artery 



The femoral artery continues the external iliac artery down 

 into the thigh to end at the opening in the adductor magnus 

 at the junction of the upper three-fourths and lower one-fourth 

 of the femur. From its beginning to the point where the pro- 

 funda femoris is given off, it is called the common femoral, 

 below this the superficial femoral. Its upper part lies in Scarpa's 

 triangle, bounded above by Poupart's ligament, the inner side 

 formed by the inner margin of the adductor longus, the outer 

 by the sartorius. Its floor, from without inward, is made up 

 of the iliacus, psoas, pectineus, and adductor brevis. The lower 

 part runs in Hunter's canal, a depression between the vastus 

 internus and the adductores magnus and longus, covered by a 

 strong fascia passing between them, the latter covered by the 

 sartorius muscles. 



Relations. In front, fascia lata, crural sheath, fascia covering 

 Hunter's canal, sartorius, internal cutaneous and long saphenous 

 nerves, nerve to the vastus internus, and filaments of the 

 crural branch of the genitocrural nerve, and a few superficial 

 veins; behind, psoas magnus, pectineus, adductores brevis, 

 longus and magnus, femoral vein and profunda vessels, branch 

 of the anterior crural nerve to the pectineus; outer side, anterior 

 crural nerve, vastus internus, and femoral vein below; inner side, 

 sartorius, adductor longus, femoral vein above. 



The branches of the femoral artery are : (a) The superficial epi- 

 gastric rises about half an inch below Poupart's ligament and 

 passes through the sphenous opening, ascends in the superficial 

 fascia over the abdomen, joining other epigastrics. 



(6) The superficial circumflex iliac. 



(c) The superior external pudic comes off from the inner side 

 of the common femoral a little below the preceding and passing 

 through the saphenous opening crosses to the lower abdomen 



