792 
ANATOMY AND PATHOLOGY 
Figure 28. — Arterial supply to thoracic segments of the spinal cord of the sheep. A sponge 
(ep.) has been placed over the ventral spinal artery to simulate the position of the spinal 
cord. Dorsal intercostal arteries (dor. int. arteries) give off spinal branches v^^hich enter 
the intervertebral foramina to reinforce the tiny ventral spinal artery. The left bronchial 
artery is visible at lov^^er portion of the figure. 
THE FEMORAL TRIANGLE AND 
COLLATERAL CIRCULATION TO THE 
CAUDAL EXTREMITY 
The Femoral Triangle 
After the fascia lata over the front of the 
thigh has been removed, the femoral triangle 
and its contents are visible. In the sheep the 
sartorius muscle covers the contents of the tri- 
angle (Figure 40) and makes vena puncture or 
arterial puncture somewhat of a different ex- 
perience than in the dog or man where the tri- 
angle is bounded laterally by the sartorius and 
medially by the pectineus muscles (Figure 41). 
Within the triangles the contents are the fem- 
oral vein most medial and femoral artery inter- 
mediate between the femoral nerve or saphenous 
branch of the femoral nerve. 
Collateral Circulation to the Distal Pelvic Limb 
The well developed profunda femoris artery 
in the dog lies partly within and partly outside 
of the abdominal cavity. It establishes an ex- 
tensive collateral circulation with the lower por- 
tion of the femoral artery by way of anasto- 
moses with the cranial femoral, muscular 
branches of the femoral and lower down with 
the caudal femoral artery (Figure 42). This un- 
usual collateral arterial circulation to the pelvic 
limb in the dog enables one to ligate the femoral 
artery for purpose of catheterizing the external 
iliac artery or abdominal aorta. In a series of 
