Blood supply
The thigh is supplied by three major vessels:
- Femoral artery
- Obturator artery
- Inferior gluteal artery
Femoral artery
The anterior compartment of the thigh is supplied mainly by the femoral artery and its perforating branches. The femoral artery is the largest of the lower limb arteries.
- It begins as a continuation of the external iliac artery.
- It courses inferiorly to the inguinal ligament to enter the femoral triangle, where it supplies the anterior compartment of thigh muscles.
- It descends through the femoral triangle and the adductor canal and gives off several smaller branches.
- As the femoral artery enters the adductor canal, passing through the adductor hiatus it continues as the popliteal artery.
Branches
The femoral artery gives off the deep femoral (profunda femoris) artery at the femoral triangle region.
The deep femoral artery courses posteriorly to give off several branches:
- Perforating branches
- 3-4 branches that supply the adductor magnus muscle.
- Lateral femoral circumflex artery
- Supplies muscles of the lateral aspect of the thigh.
- It wraps around the femur, hence the name circumflex.
- Medial femoral circumflex artery
- Wraps around the femur to supply its head