THE FEMORAL ARTERY 675 



between the two heads of the gastrocnemius as the popHteal artery. It is related 

 at its origin to the sartorius in front, the femoral vein behind (which separates it 

 from the pectineus), and the iliacus laterally. Lower down it is related super- 

 ficially to the deep inguinal lymph glands, and deeply to the vastus medialis, while 

 the saphenous nerve is in front of it, and the vein passes to its lateral face. The 

 chief branches are as follows: 



1. The prepubic artery (Truncus pudendo-abdominalis) arises usually by a 

 common trunk with the deep femoral, a little below the level of the pubis. It 

 passes forward across the edge of the inguinal ligament, inclining ventro-medially, 

 and then runs on the abdominal surface of the ligament to the medial part of the 

 internal inguinal ring, where it divides into the posterior abdominal and external 

 pudic arteries. (1) The posterior abdominal artery (A. abdominalis caudalis) 

 (Fig. 370) passes along the lateral border of the rectus abdominis and anastomoses 

 in the mnbilical region with the anterior abdominal artery. It supplies branches 

 chiefly to the rectus and obliquus internus muscles. (2) The external pudic 

 artery (A. pudenda externa) descends on the inguinal ligament through the 

 medial part of the inguinal canal, and emerges at the medial angle of the ex- 

 ternal ring. In the male it divides into the subcutaneous abdominal artery 

 and the anterior dorsal artery of the penis. The former (A. abdominalis sub- 

 cutanea) runs forward on the abdominal tunic a short distance from the linea alba, 

 and gives branches to the superficial inguinal lymph glands, the sheath, and the 

 scrotum. The latter (A. dorsalis penis- cranialis) passes to the dorsmn penis and 

 ends at the glans as the arteria glandis. It gives off collateral branches (Rami 

 profimdi penis) to the corpus cavernosum, one of which usually passes backward 

 and anastomoses with a branch of the obturator artery. Branches are also supplied 

 to the superficial inguinal lymph glands, the prepuce, and the scrotum. In the 

 female the mammary artery (A. mammaria) takes the place of the anterior dorsal 

 artery of the penis; it enters the base of the mammary gland, in which it ramifies. 



2. The deep femoral artery (A. profunda femoris) (Fig. 581) arises either by a 

 common trunk with the prepubic or a little distal to it. The point of origin is 

 usually at the level of the anterior border of the pubis, but may be as much as an 

 inch lower. It passes backward and downward across the medial face of the 

 femoral vein, then below the pubis in the space between the hip joint and the pec- 

 tineus muscle. On reaching the obturator externus it inclines more ventrally and 

 laterally, passes out between the posterior surface of the femur and the quadratus 

 femoris, and ramifies in the biceps femoris and semitendinosus. It supplies large 

 collateral branches to the medial femoral muscles and twigs to the deep inguinal 

 lymph glands and the hip joint, and anastomoses with the obturator artery.^ 



3. The anterior femoral artery (A. femoris cranialis) (Fig. 575) arises a little 

 distal to the preceding vessel, from the opposite side of the femoral trunk. It 

 passes forward, outward, and a little downward across the deep face of the sartorius, 

 dips in between the rectus femoris and vastus medialis, and ramifies in these muscles 

 and the vastus intermedins. It is related laterally to the ilio-psoas and to the 

 femoral nerve. 



In some cases this artery is replaced by a large branch of the iliaco-femoral or external cir- 

 cumflex, which passes between the ilio-psoas and rectus femoris and enters the interstice between 

 the latter muscle and the vastus medialis. 



4. Innominate muscular branches (Rami musculares) of variable size and 

 arrangement are given off to the muscles of this vicinity. 



5. The saphenous artery (A. saphena) (Figs. 576, 582) is a small vessel which 

 arises from the femoral about its middle, or from a muscular branch, and emerges 

 between the sartorius and gracilis or through the latter to the medial surface of the 



1 In the new nomenclature the term A. oircumflexa femoris medialis is applied to the part 

 which turns outward, while the part which runs backward is regarded as the continuing trunk. 



