14. Vessels of the thigh and gluteal region Flashcards
What is the main artery of the lower limb?
femoral artery
What is the common femoral artery?
A continuation of the external iliac artery which becomes known as the common femoral artery when it crosses under the inguinal ligament and enters the femoral triangle
What does the profunda femoris (or deep femoral) artery branch from and into in the femoral triangle?
- it branches from the posterolateral aspect of the common femoral artery
- it travels posteriorly and distally to give off three branches
1) lateral femoral circumflex artery: wraps around the anterolateral aspect of the proximal femur to contribute to the extracapsular arterial ring. A descending branch supplies some of the muscles of the lateral thigh
2) medial femoral circumflex artery: wraps around the posterior aspect of the proximal femur, making the major contribution to the extracapsular arterial ring
3) perforating branches: three or four perforate the adductor magnus and contribute to the blood supply of the muscles of the medial and posterior thigh
After giving off the profunda femoris branch, what does the common(deep) femoral artery change into?
Superficial femoral artery
What does the superficial femoral artery supply?
- after exiting the apex of the femoral triangle, it enters the adductor canal
- supply anterior thigh muscles during descent down adductor canal
- passes through hiatus and enters posterior compartment of thigh proximal to knee joint
- now becomes known as the popliteal artery
What artery is the medial compartment of the thigh supplied by
Obturator artery
Where does the obturator artery arise from and where does it enter?
- Arises from the internal iliac artery in the pelvic region
- Enters the medial compartment of the thigh via the obturator canal
What arteries is the gluteal region supplied by?
Superior and inferior gluteal arteries
Where do the gluteal arteries arise from and where do they enter?
- arise from the internal iliac artery
- enter gluteal region via the greater sciatic foramen
- superior leaves the greater sciatic foramen above the piriformis
- inferior leaves below the muscle
What else does the inferior gluteal artery contribute to?
Blood supply of the posterior thigh
Once the popliteal vein has entered the thigh via the hiatus what is it known as?
Femoral vein
Where does the femoral vein ascend?
In the adductor accompanying the femoral artery
What is the profunda femoris vein?
Deep vein of the thigh
Where does the profunda femoris vein enter?
- follows the course of the profunda femoris artery
- Via perforating veins, it drains blood from the thigh
muscles. It drains into the distal section of the femoral vein
Where does the common femoral vein leave the thigh?
By passing deep to the inguinal ligament, medial to the femoral artery, at which point it becomes known as the external iliac vein
By which veins is the gluteal region drained by?
Inferior and superior gluteal veins, which follow the course of the inferior and superior gluteal arteries
Where do gluteal veins empty into?
The internal iliac vein
Where does the obturator vein enter and drain into?
- follows the course of the obturator artery and drains into medial thigh
- enters the pelvis through the obturator foramen, along with the obturator artery and nerve
- terminates by draining into the internal iliac vein
In what tissue does the superficial veins of the lower limbs run in?
Subcutaneous tissue
What are the superficial veins of the lower limb?
great saphenous vein and small saphenous vein
What is the great saphenous vein formed by?
The dorsal venous arch of the foot and the dorsal vein of the great toe
Where does the great saphenous vein travel and terminate?
- passes anteriorly to the medial malleolus at the ankle
- ascends the medial leg, medial to and then posterior to the medial aspect of the tibia
- passes a hands breadth posterior to the medial border of the patella
- ascends in the medial thigh
- pierces the saphenous opening of the fascia lata, 1-3 cm distal to the inguinal ligament
- drains into the femoral vein at the saphenofemoral junction in the femoral triangle
What is the small saphenous vein formed by?
The dorsal Venus arch of the foot and the dorsal vein of the lil toe
Where does the small saphenous vein pass and enter?
- passes posterior to the lateral malleolus, alone the lateral border of the Achilles’ tendon
- ascends posterior leg
- passes between the two heads of the gastrocnemius muscle to drain into the popliteal vein at the saphenopopliteal junction in the popliteal fossa
What does the lymphatic system drain?
- Tissue fluid, plasma proteins and other cellular debris into the bloodstream
- Also involved in immune defence
- Lymph is subsequently filtered by lymph nodes and directed into the venous system
What are the lymphatic vessels in the lower limb?
- superficial: medial and lateral
- deep
Where are the superficial lymphatic vessels?
- medial: follow the course of the great saphenous vein and drain into the inferior group of superficial inguinal lymph nodes in femoral triangle
- lateral: follow course of small saphenous vein and either drain into popliteal lymph nodes in the popliteal fossa or cross to join the medial group below the knee and drain into the superficial inguinal lymph nodes. The efferent lymphatic vessels from the popliteal nodes follow the femoral vein and drain into the deep inguinal nodes
Where are the deep lymphatic vessels located?
- accompany deep arteries of the leg
- They are found in three main groups:anterior tibial, posterior tibial and peroneal, following the corresponding artery
- enter popliteal lymph nodes
