The femoral sheath (also called the crural sheath) is a funnel-shaped downward extension of abdominal fascia within which the femoral artery and femoral vein pass between the abdomen and the thigh. The femoral sheath is subdivided by two vertical partitions to form three compartments (medial, intermediate, and lateral); the medial compartment is known as the femoral canal and contains lymphatic vessels and a lymph node, whereas the intermediate canal and the lateral canal accommodate the femoral vein and the femoral artery (respectively). Some neurovascular structures perforate the femoral sheath. Topographically, the femoral sheath is contained within in the femoral triangle.
Femoral sheath | |
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Details | |
Identifiers | |
Latin | vagina femoralis |
Anatomical terminology |
The femoral sheath is funnel-shaped fascial structure, [1] with the wide end directed superior-ward.[ citation needed ] The femoral sheath is formed by an inferior-ward prolongation - posterior to the inguinal ligament - of abdominal fascia, with transverse fascia being continued down anterior to the femoral vessels, and iliac fascia posterior to these. The femoral sheath is strengthened anteriorly by the iliopubic tract. [2] The narrowed inferior/distal end of the femoral sheath concludes by blending with the tunica adventitia of the femoral vessels [1] about 4 cm inferior to the inguinal ligament. [3]
The lateral wall of the sheath is vertical and is perforated by the lumboinguinal nerve; the medial wall is directed/oriented obliquely inferolaterally and is perforated by the great saphenous vein, and by Lymphatic vessel. [4]
The femoral sheath is contained in the femoral triangle.[ citation needed ]
The sheath is divided by two vertical partitions which stretch between its anterior and posterior walls: [5]
The femoral sheath allows for the femoral artery and the femoral vein to pass between the abdomen and the thigh.[ citation needed ]
Articles related to anatomy include:
The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the thigh and leg. The femoral artery gives off the deep femoral artery and descends along the anteromedial part of the thigh in the femoral triangle. It enters and passes through the adductor canal, and becomes the popliteal artery as it passes through the adductor hiatus in the adductor magnus near the junction of the middle and distal thirds of the thigh.
The femoral triangle is an anatomical region of the upper third of the thigh. It is a subfascial space which appears as a triangular depression below the inguinal ligament when the thigh is flexed, abducted and laterally rotated.
The inguinal canals are the two passages in the anterior abdominal wall of humans and animals which in males convey the spermatic cords and in females the round ligament of the uterus. The inguinal canals are larger and more prominent in males. There is one inguinal canal on each side of the midline.
The inguinal ligament, also known as Poupart's ligament or groin ligament, is a band running from the pubic tubercle to the anterior superior iliac spine. It forms the base of the inguinal canal through which an indirect inguinal hernia may develop.
The adductor magnus is a large triangular muscle, situated on the medial side of the thigh.
In human anatomy, inferior epigastric artery refers to the artery that arises from the external iliac artery. It anastomoses with the superior epigastric artery. Along its course, it is accompanied by a similarly named vein, the inferior epigastric vein. These epigastric vessels form the lateral border of Hesselbach's triangle, which outlines the area through which direct inguinal hernias protrude.
The femoral nerve is a nerve in the thigh that supplies skin on the upper thigh and inner leg, and the muscles that extend the knee.
The obturator artery is a branch of the internal iliac artery that passes antero-inferiorly on the lateral wall of the pelvis, to the upper part of the obturator foramen, and, escaping from the pelvic cavity through the obturator canal, it divides into both an anterior and a posterior branch.
The transversalis fascia is a thin aponeurotic membrane of the abdomen. It lies between the inner surface of the transverse abdominal muscle and the parietal peritoneum.
The femoral canal is the medial compartment of the three compartments of the femoral sheath. It is conical in shape. The femoral canal contains lymphatic vessels, and adipose and loose connective tissue, as well as - sometimes - a deep inguinal lymph node. The function of the femoral canal is to accommodate the distension of the femoral vein when venous return from the leg is increased or temporarily restricted.
The superficial epigastric artery arises from the front of the femoral artery about 1 cm below the inguinal ligament, and, passing through the femoral sheath and the fascia cribrosa, turns upward in front of the inguinal ligament, and ascends between the two layers of the superficial fascia of the abdominal wall nearly as far as the umbilicus.
The carotid triangle is a portion of the anterior triangle of the neck.
The inferior carotid triangle, is bounded, in front, by the median line of the neck from the hyoid bone to the sternum; behind, by the anterior margin of the sternocleidomastoid; above, by the superior belly of the omohyoid.
The deep circumflex iliac artery is an artery in the pelvis that travels along the iliac crest of the pelvic bone.
The superficial iliac circumflex artery, the smallest of the cutaneous branches of the femoral artery, arises close to the superficial epigastric artery, and, piercing the fascia lata, runs lateralward, parallel with the inguinal ligament, as far as the crest of the ilium.
The popliteal lymph nodes, small in size and some six or seven in number, are embedded in the fat contained in the popliteal fossa, sometimes referred to as the 'knee pit'. One lies immediately beneath the popliteal fascia, near the terminal part of the small saphenous vein, and drains the region from which this vein derives its tributaries, such as superficial regions of the posterolateral aspect of the leg and the plantar aspect of the foot.
The prevertebral fascia is the layer of deep cervical fascia that surrounds the vertebral column. It contains the sympathetic trunk, brachial plexus, phrenic nerve, prevertebral muscles, and the cervical vertebral column.
The anterior cutaneous branches of the femoral nerve consist of the following nerves: intermediate cutaneous nerve and medial cutaneous nerve.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to human anatomy:
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 625 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)