THE THIGH 195 



suprema, escape from the canal by passing under cover of 

 the distal thickened margin of the fibrous expansion which 

 forms the roof. They can be seen in the present stage of 

 the dissection in this situation. 



Dissection. The fibrous expansion which is stretched across the adductor 

 canal, under cover of the sartorius muscle, should now be divided, in order 

 that the arrangement of the parts within the canal may be studied. 



Distal Portion of the Femoral Artery. The entire length 

 of the femoral artery is now exposed. Below the apex of the 

 femoral triangle it enters the adductor canal, and is separated 

 from the medial surface of the thigh by the fibrous expansion 

 which closes the canal, the sartorius muscle, the fascia 

 lata, and the integument. The saphenous nerve crosses 

 anterior to the artery from the lateral to the medial side. 

 Proximo -distally the artery rests upon the pectineus, the 

 adductor brevis, the adductor longus, and the adductor 

 magnus. Its proximal part, however, is separated from 

 these muscles by the femoral vein, which lies posterior to it ; 

 more distally, the vein, which inclines laterally, comes to 

 lie on its lateral side on a posterior plane. The relation of 

 parts in the adductor canal is seen in Figs. 71, 72, and 73. 



From the femoral artery, as it traverses Hunter's canal, 

 proceed muscular twigs and the arteria genu suprema. 



The muscular branches are irregular in number and in 

 their mode of origin. They supply the vastus medialis, the 

 adductor longus, and the sartorius. 



Arteria Genu Suprema (O.T. Anastomotic). This branch 

 springs from the femoral trunk a short distance proximal to 

 the point where it enters the fossa poplitea by passing through 

 the opening in the adductor magnus. The arteria genu 

 suprema almost immediately divides into a saphenous and 

 an articular branch : very frequently, indeed, these branches 

 take separate origin from the femoral artery. 



The saphenous branch accompanies the saphenous nerve, 

 and leaves the adductor canal by passing under cover of the 

 distal border of the fibrous expansion which is stretched 

 over the canal. On the medial side of the knee it appears 

 between the gracilis and sartorius, and it ends in branches 

 to the integument on the medial aspect of the proximal part 

 of the leg. 



The articular branch enters the substance of the vastus 



