The descending genicular artery (also known as the highest genicular artery) arises 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 ...

just before its passage through the

adductor hiatus In human anatomy, the adductor hiatus also known as hiatus magnus is a hiatus (gap) between the adductor magnus muscle and the femur that allows the passage of the femoral vessels from the anterior thigh to the posterior thigh and then the poplite ...

. The descending geniculate artery immediately divides into two branches: a saphenous branch (which classically joins with the medial inferior genicular artery), and muscular and articular branches.

Structure

Branches

Saphenous branch

The saphenous branch pierces the aponeurotic covering of the

adductor canal The adductor canal (also known as the subsartorial canal or Hunter's canal) is an aponeurotic tunnel in the middle third of the thigh giving passage to parts of the femoral artery, vein, and nerve. It extends from the apex of the femoral triang ...

, and accompanies the

saphenous nerve The saphenous nerve (long or internal saphenous nerve) is the largest cutaneous branch of the femoral nerve. It is derived from the lumbar plexus (L3-L4). It is a strictly sensory nerve, and has no motor function. It commences in the proximal (u ...

to the medial side of the knee. It passes between 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 the

gracilis muscle The gracilis muscle (; Latin for "slender") is the most superficial muscle on the medial side of the thigh. It is thin and flattened, broad above, narrow and tapering below. Structure It arises by a thin aponeurosis from the anterior margins ...

, and, piercing the

fascia lata The fascia lata is the deep fascia of the thigh. It encloses the thigh muscles and forms the outer limit of the fascial compartments of thigh, which are internally separated by the medial intermuscular septum and the lateral intermuscular sept ...

, is distributed to the integument of the upper and medial part of the leg, anastomosing with the medial inferior genicular artery.

Articular branches

The articular branches descend within the vastus medialis muscle, and in front of the tendon of the

adductor magnus muscle The adductor magnus is a large triangular muscle, situated on the medial side of the thigh. It consists of two parts. The portion which arises from the ischiopubic ramus (a small part of the inferior ramus of the pubis, and the inferior ramus o ...

, to the medial side of the knee, where they join with the medial superior genicular and anterior recurrent tibial artery. A branch from this vessel crosses above the patellar surface of 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 ...

, forming an anastomotic arch with the lateral superior genicular artery, and supplying branches to the

knee-joint In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

References

External links

{{Authority control Arteries of the lower limb