Femoral Artery, Anterior View

Description

Running inferior to the inguinal ligament, the femoral artery continues from the external iliac artery within the femoral triangle, positioned anteromedial to the femoral vein and lateral to the femoral canal. Distally it descends along the anterior thigh deep to sartorius, entering the adductor canal where it lies adjacent to the femoral vein, then approaches the adductor hiatus to become the popliteal artery posterior to the knee. Superficial landmarks such as the quadriceps femoris, adductor longus, and iliopsoas frame the proximal vessel, while the femur and knee joint provide bony orientation for the artery’s course. Clear relationships. Appreciating this anterior pathway matters in arterial access and limb ischemia workups, because the common femoral artery at the femoral head level is the standard puncture target for catheter-based interventions and a frequent site of pseudoaneurysm after access. The adductor canal segment is also a key corridor in vascular surgery, where a superficial femoral artery occlusion can be bypassed to the popliteal artery, and in regional anesthesia where an adductor canal block aims to spare quadriceps strength while targeting the saphenous nerve traveling with the femoral vessels. Palpation and Doppler assessment hinge on these surface-to-deep relationships. Use this artwork for gross anatomy teaching on the anterior thigh, for surgical education materials covering femoral triangle exposure and adductor canal anatomy, and for radiology or interventional cardiology texts correlating surface landmarks with CTA, MRA, or angiography of the femoral and popliteal arteries. It also fits patient-facing diagrams explaining femoral arterial catheterization and post-procedure complications. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.