456 Scarpds Triangle 



The deep femoral artery (profunda femoris) comes off from the 

 back of the common trunk, an inch or two below Poupart's ligament, 

 and, passing at first outwards, winds downwards and inwards to the 

 adductor magnus. 



Relations. At first close beneath the superficial femoral vessels, 

 it is afterwards separated from them by the adductor longus, and the 

 deep femoral vein. 



At its origin it touches the front of the iliacus ; afterwards it rests 

 upon the pectineus and the adductors brevis and magnus. On the 

 outer side is the femur, covered by the vastus interims, and on the 

 inner side are the adductors. 



The branches of the deep femoral artery are the two circumflex 

 and the three perforating, which, as their names imply, are either bent 

 around the femur, or perforate the adductor magnus in their course to 

 the back of the thigh. 



The external circumflex passes outwards through the divisions 

 of the anterior crural nerve, then under the sartorius and rectus, 

 and over the crureus. It divides into ascending branches which pass 

 under the tensor fasciae femoris to the space between the iliac crest 

 and the great trochanter, where they anastomose with the gluteal 

 and the circumflexa ilii. 



Transverse branches pass backwards through the vastus externus 

 to anastomose with the sciatic, internal circumflex, and superior 

 perforating, completing the cruciform anastomosis ; and descending 

 branches run in the vastus externus to anastomose with the superior 

 external articular of the popliteal. 



The internal circumflex leaves Scarpa's triangle between the 

 psoas and pectineus, and, passing below the obturator externus, and 

 above the adductor brevis, hits the interval between the quadratus 

 femoris and the adductor magnus, by which it enters the cruciform 

 anastomosis. When it is passing above the adductor brevis it gives 

 a branch to anastomose with the obturator artery, and to help in the 

 supply of the hip-joint. Another branch may pass by the tendon of 

 the obturator externus to anastomose with the gluteal and sciatic. 



Of the perforating arteries, the first runs through or above the 

 adductor brevis to ' perforate ' the magnus. It joins in the cruciform 

 anastomosis, and communicates below with the second, which pierces 

 both brevis and magnus, and anastomoses with the first and with the 

 tJdrd, The third pierces the large adductor below the level of the short 

 one, and anastomoses with the second and with the termination of the 

 profunda, which comes through the magnus as a fourth perforating, 

 and anastomoses freely with the superior muscular branches of the 

 popliteal, and with the higher perforating branches. 



The second perforating gives the special nutrient branch to the 

 medulla of the femur, which enters by the linea aspera in an upward 

 direction. 



