POPLITEAL FOSSA 



popliteus requires special notice. It arises more distally than 

 the others, and crosses the superficial surface of the popliteal 

 artery to reach the lateral side of that vessel. It then runs 

 distally on the posterior surface of the popliteus muscle, and 

 gains the anterior surface by winding round the distal border. 

 This will be better seen when the popliteus muscle is dissected. 

 The articular branches are three in number. They are 

 given off by the tibial nerve in the proximal part of the fossa, 

 sometimes even proximal to the fossa, and they accompany 

 the middle genicular artery and the two medial genicular 



Prepatellar bursa 



B. Biceps 



femoris 



G.E. Lateral head 

 of gastro- 

 cnemius. 



G.I. Medial head 

 of gastro- 

 cnemius. 

 S. Sartorius. 

 S.M. Semimem- 



branosus. 

 V. Vastus 



medialis 



semitendinosus 



Synovial 

 cavity of 

 knee joint 



Popliteal artery 



Popliteal vein 



Tibial nerve (O.T. 

 int. popliteal) 



Common peroneal 

 nerve (O.T. ext. 

 popliteal) 



FIG. 133. Transverse section through the Popliteal Fossa of the Right 

 Inferior Extremity. 



arteries. That which accompanies the inferior medial artery 

 is larger than the other two, and can, as a rule, be easily 

 discovered as it runs along the proximal border of the popliteus 

 muscle. 



Nervus Peronseus Communis (O.T. External Popliteal). 

 The common peroneal nerve is the smaller of the two terminal 

 branches of the sciatic nerve. It arises, from the sciatic 

 nerve, about the middle of the length of the thigh, and it 

 terminates at the lateral side of the neck of the fibula, under 

 cover of the peroneus longus, by dividing into a superficial 

 and a deep peroneal terminal branch. It does not traverse 

 the entire length of the popliteal fossa, for, as it runs distally 



