106 TOPOGKAPHICAL ANATOMY OF 



A. profunda femoris. — The deep femoral artery leaves the external 

 iliac just before this vessel merges into the femoral. Generally the 

 deep femoral arises in common with the pudendo-epigastric trunk, 

 but often its origin is independent. It runs between the pectineus 

 muscle and the hip joint, and, at the proximal border of the insertion 

 of the quadratus femoris, furnishes a large branch, the medial circumflex 

 femoral artery (a. circumflexa femoris medialis), which curves round the 

 back of the femur to end in the biceps muscle. Branches of the deep 

 femoral anastomose with the obturator artery. 1 



A. femoris posterior. — The terminal part of the femoral artery, 

 now exposed, extends from the point at which the vessel pierces the 

 adductor muscle to its disappearance between the two heads of the 

 gastrocnemius. Just as it is about to end the femoral gives origin to 

 the 'posterior femoral artery, which, after a short horizontal course in a 

 backward direction, divides into ascending and descending branches. 

 The ramus ascendens runs in a proximal direction, and supplies small 

 arteries to the biceps, semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and lateral 

 vastus muscles. A small and inconstant twig often passes along the 

 tibial nerve and anastomoses with the obturator artery. Though this 

 twig may be absent, a large vein, which serves as a connecting link 

 between the obturator and posterior femoral veins, is always present, 

 and serves as a guide to the possible position of the artery. 



The ramus descendens passes along the surface of the lateral head 

 of the gastrocnemius muscle. A twig from it accompanies the tibial 

 nerve, and ends by joining the recurrent tibial artery. 



Five or six popliteal lymph glands (lymphoglandulre poplitese) form 

 a small group about the division of the posterior femoral artery. 



N. ischiadicus. — A more complete examination of this nerve will 

 be possible during the dissection of the gluteal region. In the mean- 

 time its two terminal branches should be noted. Of these, the more 

 medial — the tibial nerve — is the larger, and leaves the present dis- 

 section by disappearing between the two heads of the gastrocnemius 

 muscle. Muscular branches (rami musculares proximales) pass from 

 the tibial nerve to the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and biceps. 



The smaller branch of the sciatic — the common peroneal nerve — enters 

 the leg between the biceps and the lateral head of the gastrocnemius. 



Dissection. — The gluteal and hip region and the lateral aspect of the 

 thigh must now be examined. Before the skin is removed, certain 



1 Because the point of origin of the deep femoral artery is subject to variation, 

 and because the origin may occur distal to the border of the pubis, some writers 

 describe the vessel as a branch of the femoral artery. The specimen from which 

 Figs. 66 and 67 were drawn illustrates a distal origin independent of the pudendo- 

 epigastric trunk. 



