The lateral circumflex femoral artery (also known as the lateral femoral circumflex artery or the external circumflex artery) is an

artery An artery () is a blood vessel in humans and most other animals that takes oxygenated blood away from the heart in the systemic circulation to one or more parts of the body. Exceptions that carry deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary arteries in ...

in the upper thigh. It is usually a branch of the

profunda femoris artery The deep femoral artery also known as the deep artery of the thigh, or profunda femoris artery, is a large branch of the femoral artery. It travels more deeply ("profoundly") than the rest of the femoral artery. It gives rise to the lateral ci ...

, and produces three branches. It is mostly distributed to the muscles of the lateral thigh, supplying arterial blood to muscles of the knee extensor group.

Structure

Origin

The lateral femoral circumflex artery usually arises from the lateral side of the

, but may occasionally arise directly from the

femoral artery The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the thigh and leg. The femoral artery gives off the deep femoral artery and descends along the anteromedial part of the thigh in the femoral triangle. It enters ...

. It is the largest branch of the profunda femoris artery.

Course and relations

The lateral circumflex femoral artery usually courses anterior to the

femoral neck The femoral neck (also femur neck or neck of the femur) is a flattened pyramidal process of bone, connecting the femoral head with the femoral shaft, and forming with the latter a wide angle opening medialward. Structure The neck is flattene ...

. It passes horizontally between the divisions of the

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. It is the largest branch of the lumbar plexus. Structure The femoral nerve is the major nerve supplying the ant ...

. It passes posterior to the

sartorius muscle The sartorius muscle () is the longest muscle in the human body. It is a long, thin, superficial muscle that runs down the length of the thigh in the anterior compartment. Structure The sartorius muscle originates from the anterior superior ilia ...

and

rectus femoris muscle The rectus femoris muscle is one of the four quadriceps muscles of the human body. The others are the vastus medialis, the vastus intermedius (deep to the rectus femoris), and the vastus lateralis. All four parts of the quadriceps muscle attach ...

. It passes laterally across the hip joint capsule. It divides into ascending, transverse, and descending branches.

Branches

The lateral circumflex femoral artery has three branches: # The ascending branch of lateral circumflex femoral artery passes upward, beneath the

tensor fasciae latae muscle The tensor fasciae latae (or tensor fasciæ latæ or, formerly, tensor vaginae femoris) is a muscle of the thigh. Together with the gluteus maximus, it acts on and is continuous with the iliotibial band, which attaches to the tibia. The muscle a ...

, to the lateral aspect of the

hip In vertebrate anatomy, the hip, or coxaLatin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) (: ''coxae'') in medical terminology, refers to either an anatomical region or a joint on t ...

, and

anastomose An anastomosis (, : anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection may be normal (su ...

s with the terminal branches of the superior gluteal and

deep circumflex iliac artery The deep circumflex iliac artery (or deep iliac circumflex artery) is an artery in the pelvis that travels along the iliac crest of the pelvic bone. Course The deep circumflex iliac artery arises from the lateral aspect of the external iliac arte ...

. # The descending branch of lateral circumflex femoral artery runs downward, behind the

rectus femoris The rectus femoris muscle is one of the four quadriceps muscles of the human body. The others are the vastus medialis, the vastus intermedius (deep to the rectus femoris), and the vastus lateralis. All four parts of the quadriceps muscle attach ...

, upon the

vastus lateralis The vastus lateralis (), also called the vastus externus, is the largest and most powerful part of the quadriceps femoris, a muscle in the thigh. Together with other muscles of the quadriceps group, it serves to extend the knee joint, moving the ...

, to which it gives offsets; one long branch descends in the muscle as far as the knee, and anastomoses with the superior lateral genicular artery. It is accompanied by the branch of the

to the

muscle. # The transverse branch of lateral circumflex femoral artery is a small

in the

thigh In anatomy, the thigh is the area between the hip (pelvis) and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb. The single bone in the thigh is called the femur. This bone is very thick and strong (due to the high proportion of bone tissu ...

. It is the smallest branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery and passes lateralward over the

vastus intermedius The vastus intermedius () (Cruraeus) arises from the front and lateral surfaces of the body of the femur in its upper two-thirds, sitting under the rectus femoris muscle and from the lower part of the lateral intermuscular septum. Its fibers end ...

, pierces the

, and winds around the

femur The femur (; : femurs or femora ), or thigh bone is the only long bone, bone in the thigh — the region of the lower limb between the hip and the knee. In many quadrupeds, four-legged animals the femur is the upper bone of the hindleg. The Femo ...

, just below the

greater trochanter The greater trochanter of the femur is a large, irregular, quadrilateral eminence and a part of the skeletal system. It is directed lateral and medially and slightly posterior. In the adult it is about 2–4 cm lower than the femoral head.Sta ...

, anastomosing on the back of the thigh with the medial femoral circumflex artery, the

inferior gluteal artery The inferior gluteal artery (sciatic artery) is a terminal branch of the anterior trunk of the internal iliac artery. It exits the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen. It is distributed chiefly to the buttock and the back of the thigh. Ana ...

, and the

perforating arteries The perforating arteries are branches of the deep artery of the thigh, usually three in number, so named because they perforate the tendon of the adductor magnus to reach the back of the thigh. They pass backward near the linea aspera of the femur ...

of the

Distribution

The lateral circumflex femoral artery mainly supplies muscles of the lateral thigh, suppliyng the

, and

muscles. Due to the fact that it passes across the thickest part of the hip joint capsule, it is in a less suitable position to supply the proximal femur so that most of the arterial supply to the

head A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple ani ...

and

neck of the femur The femoral neck (also femur neck or neck of the femur) is a flattened pyramidal process of bone, connecting the femoral head with the femoral shaft, and forming with the latter a wide angle opening medialward. Structure The neck is flattene ...

is instead afforded by the

medial circumflex femoral artery The medial circumflex femoral artery (internal circumflex artery, medial femoral circumflex artery) is an artery in the upper thigh that arises from the profunda femoris artery''.'' It supplies arterial blood to several muscles in the region, as w ...

Variation

Origin The lateral femoral circumflex artery has a variable origin. In 67% of people, it arises 1.5 cm inferior to the origin of the profunda femoris artery, and in others it arises at different distances from this origin. In up to 20% of people, it arises directly from the

. Course A rare variant, where the lateral circumflex femoral artery passes posterior to the

, has also been reported (this is important in

orthopaedic surgery Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics (American and British English spelling differences, alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgic ...

Additional images

File:Gray550.png, The femoral artery. File:Thigh arteries schema.svg, Labeled arteries of the thigh. File:Thigh arteries schema numbered.svg, Arteries of the thigh labeled with numbers. The lateral circumflex femoral is labeled as #5. File:Slide10LLLL.JPG, Lateral circumflex femoral artery

References

External links

* * - "Arteries of the lower extremity shown in association with major landmarks." * {{Authority control Arteries of the lower limb