Femoral vessel

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Gray1146: Femoral vessels as they pass under the inguinal ligament Gray1146.png
Gray1146: Femoral vessels as they pass under the inguinal ligament

The femoral vessels are those blood vessels passing through the femoral ring into the femoral canal [1] thereby passing down the length of the thigh until behind the knee. These large vessel are the:

Femoral ring base of the femoral canal

The femoral ring is the base of the femoral canal. It is directed upward and is oval in form, its long diameter being directed transversely and measuring about 1.25 cm. Part of the intestine can sometimes pass through the femoral ring into the femoral canal causing a femoral hernia.

Femoral canal

In human anatomy of the leg, the femoral sheath has three compartments. The lateral compartment contains the femoral artery, the intermediate compartment contains the femoral vein, and the medial and smallest compartment is called the femoral canal. The femoral canal contains efferent lymphatic vessels and a lymph node embedded in a small amount of areolar tissue. It is conical in shape and is about 2 cm long.

Popliteal fossa The back of your knee

The popliteal fossa is a shallow depression located at the back of the knee joint. The bones of the popliteal fossa are the femur and the tibia. Like other flexion surfaces of large joints, it is an area where blood vessels and nerves pass relatively superficially, and with an increased amount of lymph nodes.

Femoral artery Large artery in the thigh

The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the thigh and leg. It enters the thigh from behind the inguinal ligament as the continuation of the external iliac artery.

Femoral vein Large blood vessel in the leg

In the human body, the femoral vein is a blood vessel that accompanies the femoral artery in the femoral sheath. It begins at the adductor hiatus and is a continuation of the popliteal vein. It ends at the inferior margin of the inguinal ligament, where it becomes the external iliac vein. The femoral vein bears valves which are mostly bicuspid and whose number is variable between individuals and often between left and right leg.

Lymphatic vessels found in the thigh aren’t usually included in this collective noun.

As the blood vessels pass along the thigh, they branch, with their main branches remaining closely associated, where they are still referred to collectively as femoral vessels. [2] [3]

The adjective femoral, in this case, relates to the thigh, which contains the femur.

Femur most proximal bone of the leg for tetrapode vertebrates, longest bone for humans

The femur or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with the tibia and kneecap forming the knee joint. By most measures the femur is the strongest bone in the body. The femur is also the longest bone in the human body.

The relative position of these two large vessels is very important in medicine and surgery, because several medical interventions involve puncturing one or the other of them. [4] [5] Reliably distinguishing between them is therefore important. The location of the vessel is also used as an anatomical landmark for the femoral nerve.

Femoral nerve

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.

Related Research Articles

Femoral triangle

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.

Great saphenous vein large, subcutaneous, superficial vein of the leg

The great saphenous vein is a large, subcutaneous, superficial vein of the leg. It is the longest vein in the body, running along the length of the lower limb, returning blood from the foot, leg and thigh to the deep femoral vein at the femoral triangle.

Aneurysm bulge in the wall of a blood vessel

An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms are a result of a weakened blood vessel wall, and may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus for clot formation (thrombosis) and embolization. The word is from Greek: ἀνεύρυσμα, aneurysma, "dilation", from ἀνευρύνειν, aneurynein, "to dilate". As an aneurysm increases in size, the risk of rupture increases, leading to uncontrolled bleeding. Although they may occur in any blood vessel, particularly lethal examples include aneurysms of the Circle of Willis in the brain, aortic aneurysms affecting the thoracic aorta, and abdominal aortic aneurysms. Aneurysms can arise in the heart itself following a heart attack, including both ventricular and atrial septal aneurysms.

Heavy menstrual bleeding, previously known as menorrhagia, is a menstrual period with excessively heavy flow and falls under the larger category of abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB).

Restenosis

Restenosis is the recurrence of stenosis, a narrowing of a blood vessel, leading to restricted blood flow. Restenosis usually pertains to an artery or other large blood vessel that has become narrowed, received treatment to clear the blockage and subsequently become renarrowed. This is usually restenosis of an artery, or other blood vessel, or possibly a vessel within an organ.

Radial artery Large forearm artery

In human anatomy, the radial artery is the main artery of the lateral aspect of the forearm.

Aortoiliac occlusive disease

In medicine, aortoiliac occlusive disease, also known as Leriche's syndrome and Leriche syndrome, is a form of central artery disease involving the blockage of the abdominal aorta as it transitions into the common iliac arteries.

Hip anatomical region

In vertebrate anatomy, hip refers to either an anatomical region or a joint.

Blunt trauma physical trauma caused to a body part, either by impact, injury or physical attack

Blunt trauma is physical trauma to a body part, either by impact, injury or physical attack. The latter is usually referred to as blunt force trauma. Blunt trauma is the initial trauma, from which develops more specific types such as contusions, abrasions, lacerations, and/or bone fractures. Blunt trauma is contrasted with penetrating trauma, in which an object such as a projectile or knife enters the body.

Obturator artery

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.

Lateral circumflex femoral artery

The lateral circumflex femoral artery is an artery in the upper thigh.

Medial circumflex femoral artery

The medial circumflex femoral artery is an artery in the upper thigh that helps supply blood to the neck of the femur. Damage to the artery following a femoral neck fracture may lead to avascular necrosis (ischemic) of the femoral neck/head.

Percutaneous aortic valve replacement (PAVR), also known as transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), is the replacement of the aortic valve of the heart through the blood vessels. The replacement valve is delivered via one of several access methods: transfemoral, transapical, subclavian, direct aortic, and transcaval, among others.

Adductor hiatus

In human anatomy, the adductor hiatus is a hiatus (gap) between the adductor magnus muscle and the femur that allows the passage of the femoral vessels from the anterior thigh to the posterior thigh and then the popliteal fossa. It is the termination of the adductor canal and lies about 8-13.5 cm. superior to the adductor tubercle.

Anterior compartment of thigh

The anterior compartment of thigh contains muscles which extend the knee and flex the hip.

Free-flap breast reconstruction is a type of autologous-tissue breast reconstruction applied after mastectomy for breast cancer, without the emplacement of a breast implant prosthesis. As a type of plastic surgery, the free-flap procedure for breast reconstruction employs tissues, harvested from another part of the woman’s body, to create a vascularised flap, which is equipped with its own blood vessels. Breast-reconstruction mammoplasty can sometimes be realised with the application of a pedicled flap of tissue that has been harvested from the latissimus dorsi muscle, which is the broadest muscle of the back, to which the pedicle (“foot”) of the tissue flap remains attached until it successfully grafts to the recipient site, the mastectomy wound. Moreover, if the volume of breast-tissue excised was of relatively small mass, breast augmentation procedures, such as autologous-fat grafting, also can be applied to reconstruct the breast lost to mastectomy.

Glossary of medicine


This glossary of medical terms is a list of definitions about medicine, its sub-disciplines, and related fields.

References

  1. ↑ Ranson, FT (7 April 1934). "INJURIES TO FEMORAL VESSELS DURING HERNIA OPERATIONS". British Medical Journal. 1 (3822): 618–9. doi:10.1136/bmj.1.3822.618. PMC   2444809  Lock-green.svg. PMID   20778178.
  2. ↑ Gordon, S (7 April 1883). "Aneurysm of both Popliteal Arteries: Cure by Ligature of the Femoral Arteries: At Three Years' Interval: Death from Malignant Disease of the Stomach Thirteen Years Later: Dissection of Femoral Vessels". British Medical Journal. 1 (1162): 661. doi:10.1136/bmj.1.1162.661. PMC   2372320  Lock-green.svg. PMID   20750567.
  3. ↑ Goodman, C (July 1914). "ARTERIOVENOUS ANASTOMOSIS OF THE FEMORAL VESSELS FOR IMPENDING GANGRENE". Annals of Surgery. 60 (1): 62–87. doi:10.1097/00000658-191407000-00008. PMC   1406387  Lock-green.svg. PMID   17863219.
  4. ↑ Purdue, GF; Hunt, JL (1986). "Vascular access through the femoral vessels: indications and complications". The Journal of burn care & rehabilitation. 7 (6): 498–500. doi:10.1097/00004630-198611000-00011. PMID   3429482.
  5. ↑ Mazzitelli, D; Guenzinger, R; Schreiber, C; Tassani-Prell, P; Lange, R (July 2008). "Percutaneous cannulation of the femoral vessels for cardiopulmonary bypass". Herz. 33 (5): 374–6. doi:10.1007/s00059-008-3043-2. PMID   18773158.
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