ARTERIES AND VEINS OF

THE LOWER LIMB

Major Blood Vessels of the Lower Limb

FEMORAL ARTERY
- Chief arterial supply of the lower limb
- Continuation of external iliac artery
- Enters the thigh by passing behind the
inguinal ligaments
- Ends at the opening in the adductor
magnus muscle
- Continues as popliteal artery

Femoral Artery (1)

External pudendal (2)

Superficial iliac circumflex (3)
Medial femoral circumflex (4)
Lateral femoral circumflex (5)
Profunda femoris (6): 3 perforating
branches (6a-6c)
Superior (highest) genicular (7)

Femoral Triangle

RELATIONS
Anterioly skin and superficial fascia
- superficial inguinal lymph
nodes
- fascia lata
- anterior layer of femoral sheath
- medial cutaenous nerve of the
thigh
- saphenous nerve

RELATIONS
Posteriorly posterior layer of femoral sheath
- pectenous muscle
- psoas muscle
- adductor longus
Laterally femoral nerve
- nerve to vastus medialis
- saphenous nerve
Medially femoral vein

BRANCHES OF THE FEMORAL

ARTERY
1.Superficial circumflex iliac artery
2.Superficial external pudendal artery
3.Deep external pudendal artery
4.Profunda femoris artery
5.Muscular branches to sartorius, vastus medialis and
adductor muscles
6.Descending genicular artery
7.Articular branches to anastomosis around the knee joint
8.Saphneous branch
9.Superficial epigastric artery.

POPLITEAL ARTERY
Continuation of the femoral artery
Deeply placed in the popliteal fossa
Enters the fossa by passing through the
opening in the adductor magnus
Ends at the lower border of popliteus
muscle by dividing into anterior and
posterior tibial arteries

RELATIONS
Anterior from proximal to distal,it lies against
a.Fat on the posterior surface of femur
b.Fibrous capsule of the knee joint
c.Popliteal fossa
Posterior a.semimembranous muscles
b.popliteal vein
c. tibial nerve
d.gastronemius and plantaris muscles

RELATIONS
Lateral
above

below

Medial
above

a.biceps
b.tibial nerve
c.popliteal vein
d.lateral condyle of femur
a.plantaris
b.lateral head of gastrocnaemous

a.semimenbranosus
b.medial condyle of femur
below a.tibial nerve
b.popliteal vein
c.medial head of gastrocnemius

BRANCHES
1.genicular branches supply the articular capsule
- ligaments of the knee joint
Superior, middle and inferior genicular arteries
2.muscular branches supply the hamstring
- gastrocnemius
- soleus
- plantaris

3.cutaenous branches accompanies the small

saphenous vein

APPLIED ANATOMY
1.Popliteal aneurysm can cause swelling
and pain in the popliteal fossa
2.loss of popliteal pulsation is a sign of
femoral artery obstruction

ANTERIOR TIBIAL ARTERY

Smaller terminal branch of popliteal artery
Arises at the lower border of popliteus muscle
Enters the extensor compartment of leg
Accompanies the deep peroneal nerve
Passes behind the extensor retinaculum at ankle joint
Continues as the dorsalis pedis artery
BRANCHES
1.muscular branch numerous, supply the muscles of the
anterior compartment of the leg

2.anterior and posterior tibial recurrent arteries joins the

anastomoses around the knee
3.medial and lateral, anterior malleolar arteries joins the
anastmoses around the ankle

Retinaculum thickened band of deep fascia attached to distal ends of anterior

border of tibia & fibula

Flexor retinaculum extends from medial malleolus ,passes downward & backward
Attached to the medial surface of calcaenum

DORSALIS PEDIS ARTERY

direct continuation of anterior tibial artery
begins midway between the malleoli
runs on the dorsum of the foot to the 1st
interosseous space
at the posterior end of the space it divides
into deep plantar artery and arcuate artery
deep plantar artery form the deep plantar
arch

POSTERIOR TIBIAL ARTERY

Larger terminal branch of popliteal artery

Begins at the lower border of popliteus muscle
Passes deep to flexor retinaculum
Terminates by dividing into medial and lateral plantar
arteries
BRANCHES
1.medial and lateral plantar arteries
2.peroneal artery gives nutrient artery to fibular
3.nutrient artery to tibia
4.muscular and anastomotic branches

 PERONEAL ARTERY
- largest and most important branch
- begins inferior to the distal border of
popliteus muscle
- gives off branches to the popliteus muscle
- muscles in the posterior
- lateral compartments of the leg

ARTERIES OF THE SOLE OF THE

FOOT
1.Medial plantar artery
2.Lateral plantar artery
- terminal branches of posterior tibial artery
MEDIAL PLANTAR ARTERY
- Smaller of the two terminal branches
- Passes distally on the medial side of the foot
- Supplies branches to the medial side of the toe
- Gives off muscular, cutaneous, articular
branches during its course

Anterior Tibial Artery

Medial Plantar Artery

Posterior Tibial Artery

Lateral Plantar Artery

Lateral Tarsal
Artery

Arcuate Artery

Digital Branch

Deep Branch of
Dorsal Pedalis
Artery

Plantar Arch

Plantar Metatarsal
Arteries

Plantar Digital Arteries

LATERAL PLANTAR ARTERY

Larger of the two terminal branches
Runs obliquely across the sole on the
lateral side of the lateral plantar nerve
Gives off calcaeneal, muscular, cutaenous
branches
Terminates by joining the deep plantar
branch of the dorsalis pedis artery to form
the plantar arch

CLINICAL CORRELATES
Arterial pulsations in the lower limb
1.Femoral pulse - just below the inguinal groove at
mid inguinal point
2.Popliteal pulse - popliteal fossa
3.Posterior tibial - pulse half way between the
posterior surface of medial malleous and medial
border of tendocalcaneus
4.Dorsalis pedis pulse - felt along a line mid point
between 2 malleoli to the 1st meta tarsal space

VEINS
1. SUPERFICIAL
- SAPHENOUS VEINS

2.DEEP
- FEMORAL VEIN
- POPLITEAL VEIN
- TIBIAL VEINS

VEINS

SUPERFICIAL AND DEEP GROUP

Blood from superficial will drain into
deep veins through communicating
veins
SUPERFICIAL
foot and leg veins drain into two
major trunks :
small saphenous vein
great saphenous vein

SUPERFICIAL VEINS

Dorsal digital veins

Common digital dorsal veins
Dorsal venous arch
(dorsum of foot)
medial

Large saphenous vein

lateral

Small saphenous vein

SMALL SAPHENOUS
VEIN
- lateral side of dorsal
venous arch
- ascends on the lateral
side of the foot

- along the back popliteal

fossa
- empty into the popliteal
vein.

 GREAT SAPHENOUS VEIN

- Longest vein in the body
- begins in the dorsum of the foot (medial side of
dorsal venous arch)
- extends along the medial side of leg and thigh
- receives many tributaries along the way.
- Just below the medial aspect of the inguinal
ligament
- it pierces the deep fascia of the thigh
- to enter the femoral vein via the saphenous
opening 2.5cm below the inguinal ligament
- has 10-20 valves

Great saphenous vein

TRIBUTARIES
Posterior arch vein.
A tributary from the small saphenous vein.
The lateral and medial accessory saphenous
veins
The superficial veins external pudendal (genital area)
superficial epigastric (abdomen)
superficial circumflex iliac (upper lateral thigh)
enter the vein at the groin.

Varicose veins
-Torturous dilated veins
-Due to incompetence of the
valves

DEEP VEINS

(upward continuation from

venecomitanties of dorsalis pedis
artery)

Plantar digital vein

 DEEP VEINS

- Correspond to the arteries in each region. Have the

same names

PLANTAR DIGITAL VEINS

- unite to form 4 plantar meta tarsal veins

- again unite to form the deep plantar arch

Medial

lateral plantar vein

posterior tibial vein

- Anterior tibial veins are the upward continuation of the
venae comitanties of the dorsalis pedis artery

ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR TIBIAL VEINS

- Begin at the lower end of the leg
- Ascend upward to the popliteal fossa.
- To form popliteal vein
POPLITEAL VEIN
- Formed by the union of the anterior and
posterior tibial veins
- at the distal border of popliteus muscle
- Passes upward accompanying the popliteal
artery
- Ends at the adductor opening to become the
femoral vein

FEMORAL VEIN

continuation of the popliteal vein in the thigh

ends posterior to the inguinal ligament
drains into the external iliac vein.
in the femoral triangle, lies medial to femoral
artery
it receives - the profunda femoris vein
- great saphenous vein
- and other tributaries.