FASCIA LATA. FEMORAL SHEATH. 293 



ciform process, which crosses the surface of the infundibuliform sheath of the 

 femoral vessels. This margin in the middle of its extent is continued into 

 looser tissue, but superiorly and inferiorly it ends in two more distinct 

 incurved extremities, the superior and inferior cornua. The inferior cornu, 

 the most completely defined part of the margin, lies in the angle between 

 the internal saphenous and the femoral vein, below their junction; while 

 the superior cornu forms a larger curve, and is bound down to the fascia of 

 the thigh a little below and in front of Gimbernat's ligament. 



It is customary to call the parts of the fascia lata which are placed 

 external and internal to the saphenous opening the iliac and pubic portions. 

 The iliac portion is intimately connected above with Poupart's ligament, 

 as well as with the fascia transversalis and deep layer of the superficial 

 fascia of the abdomen, and internally forms the falciform margin of the 

 saphenous opening; the pubic portion, attached superiorly to the pectineal 

 line, passes on its outer side deeply behind the sheath of the vessels, with 

 which it is connected, and is continued into the fasciae between the muscles. 

 In the natural state, the saphenous opening is filled up by the cribriform 

 fascia, a thin and somewhat irregular membrane which is continuous exter- 

 nally with the falciform margin of the opening, and is attached internally 

 to the surface of the pubic portion of the fascia lata : it receives its name 

 from being perforated by numerous small blood-vessels and by the superficial 

 lymphatics of the thigh as they pass in to join the deep group. 



The fascia lata of the thigh has various deep processes. One of these, 

 leaving the main fascia at the insertion of the tensor vaginae femoris muscle, 

 passes upwards within that muscle as a strong flat band on the surface of 

 the vastus externus, and is attached superiorly round the origin of the rectus 

 femoris, and to the tendinous arch at the insertion of the gluteus minimus 

 muscle. Two processes, the external and internal intermuscular septa, bind 

 the fascia to the femur in the lower part of the thigh : the external septum, 

 situated between the vastus externus muscle and the short head of the biceps, 

 is inserted into the liuea aspera from the lower border of the tendon of the 

 gluteus maximus to the outer condyle of the bone : the internal septum, 

 much thinner, is inserted into the femur between the vastus internus and 

 the adductor muscles. 



Sheaths of the Femoral Vessels. The femoral vessels are surrounded by an 

 investment of fascia, which in its upper part is particularly distinct, and 

 receives the name of the crural sheath. This sheath, commencing at the 

 deep crural arch, is continuous with the fascia transversalis and fascia iliaca. 

 Its outer border descends in contact with the artery, while its inner border 

 is inclined outwards from the margin of Gimbernat's ligament, and comes in 

 contact with the vein at the distance of less than an inch lower down : 

 the sheath is therefore funnel-shaped. It is divided into three compart- 

 ments, separated by thin septa : the outermost contains the artery, the 

 middle one the vein, and the innermost forms a space the upper end of 

 which corresponds to the crural ring, and which is occupied by a lymphatic 

 gland and some fat ; this compartment is interesting to the surgeon as being 

 the passage by which femoral hernia descends, and on this account has been 

 named the crural canal. 



Extending upwards from the opening for the femoral vessels in the 

 adductor magnus muscle, is an aponeurotic membrane which consists of trans- 

 verse fibres passing from the surface of the vastus internus to the adductor 

 magnus and adductor longus muscles. It becomes thinner as it ascends, 

 and it encloses between the muscles named a passage sometimes called 



