BRANCHES OF THE EXTERNAL ILIAC. 



433 



and rising within the sheath is placed between it and the muscle, and 

 terminates at some distance above the umbilicus in offsets which ramify 

 ia the substance of the muscle and anastomose with the terminal branches 

 of the internal mammary and inferior intercostal arteries. 



The epigastric artery is accompanied by two veins, which unite into a 

 single trunk before ending in the external iliac vein. 



In its course upwards from Poupart's ligament to the rectus muscle, the 

 artery passes close to the inner side of the internal abdominal ring ; and 

 the vas deferens, entering through the ring, turns behind the artery iii 

 descending into the pelvis. 



BRANCHES. These are small, but numerous. 



(a) The cremasteric artery, a slender branch, accompanies the spermatic cord, and 

 supplying the cremaster muscle and other coverings of the cord, anastomoses with the 

 spermatic artery. 



(6) Several raa^culor branches ariss from each side of the epigastric artery, ramify 

 in the rectus muscle, and communicate with the branches of the lumbar and circum- 

 flex iliac arteries. 



(c) Superficial branches perforate the abdominal muscles, and join beneath the skin 

 with branches of the superficial epigastric artery. 



(d) The pubic is a small branch, which ramifies behind the pubes, and commu- 

 nicates by means of one or more descending twigs with a similar branch from the 

 obturator artery. 



Fig. 297. VIEW OF THE RELATION OF 

 THIC VESSELS OF THE GROIN TO A 

 FEMORAL UERXIA, &c. (from E. 

 Quain). 



Fig. 297. 



In the upper part of the figure a 

 portion of the flat muscles of the 

 abdomen has been removed, displaying 

 in part the transversalis fascia arid 

 peritoneal lining of the abdomen ; in 

 the lower the fascia lata of the thigh is 

 in part removed and the sheath of the 

 femoral vessels opened : the sac of the 

 femoral hernial tumour has also been 

 opened. 



ft, anterior superior spinons process 

 of the ilium ; &, aponeurosis of the ex- 

 ternal oblique muscle above the exter- 

 nal inguinal aperture ; c, the abdomi- 

 nal peritoneum and fascia trans- 

 versalis ; d, the iliac portion of the 

 fascia lata near the saphenic opening; 

 e, sac of a femoral hernia ; 1, points 

 to the femoral artery ; 2, femoral vein 

 at the place where it is joined by the 

 saphena vein ; 3, epigastric artery and 

 vein passing up towards the back of 

 the rectus muscle ; +, placed upon 

 the upper pait of the femoral vein 

 close below the common trunk of the 



epigastric and an aberrant obturator artery ; the latter artery is seen in this case 

 close to the vein and between it and the neck of the hernial tumour. 



to pass 



2. THE CIRCUMFLEX ILIAC ARTERY, smaller than the preceding vessel, 

 arises from the outer side of the iliac artery near Poupart's ligament, and is 



