The adductor canal, also known as the subsartorial canal or Hunter’s canal, is an

aponeurotic An aponeurosis (; plural: ''aponeuroses'') is a type or a variant of the deep fascia, in the form of a sheet of pearly-white fibrous tissue that attaches sheet-like muscles needing a wide area of attachment. Their primary function is to join muscl ...

tunnel in the middle third of the

thigh In human 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 ...

. It extends from the apex of the

femoral triangle The femoral triangle (or Scarpa's triangle) is an anatomical region of the upper third of the thigh. It is a subfascial space which appears as a triangular depression below the inguinal ligament when the thigh is flexed, abducted and laterally ro ...

to 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 popl ...

Structure

The adductor canal extends from the apex of the

to the

. It is an intermuscular cleft situated on the medial aspect of the middle third of the anterior compartment of the thigh, and has the following boundaries: * medial wall - sartorius. * Posterior wall -

adductor longus In the human body, the adductor longus is a skeletal muscle located in the thigh. One of the adductor muscles of the hip, its main function is to adduct the thigh and it is innervated by the obturator nerve. It forms the medial wall of the fe ...

and

adductor magnus Adductor may refer to: * One of the anatomical terms of motion Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminol ...

. * Anterior-

vastus medialis The vastus medialis (vastus internus or teardrop muscle) is an extensor muscle located medially in the thigh that extends the knee. The vastus medialis is part of the quadriceps muscle group. Structure The vastus medialis is a muscle present ...

. It is covered by a strong aponeurosis which extends from the vastus medialis, across the femoral vessels to the adductor longus and magnus. * Lying on the aponeurosis is the sartorius (tailor's) muscle.

The canal contains the subsartorial artery (distal segment of the femoral artery), subsartorial vein (distal segment of the femoral vein), and branches 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. Structure The femoral nerve is the major nerve supplying the anterior compartment of the thigh. It is the largest ...

(specifically, the

saphenous nerve The saphenous nerve (long or internal saphenous nerve) is the largest cutaneous branch of the femoral nerve. It is a strictly sensory nerve, and has no motor function. Structure It is purely a sensory nerve. The saphenous nerve is the largest ...

, and the nerve to the vastus medialis). The femoral artery with its vein and the saphenous nerve enter this canal through the superior

foramen In anatomy and osteology, a foramen (;Entry "foramen"
in

. Then, the saphenous nerve and artery and vein of genus descendens exit through the anterior foramen, piercing the vastoadductor intermuscular septum. Finally, the femoral artery and vein exit via the inferior foramen (usually called the

hiatus Hiatus may refer to: * Hiatus (anatomy), a natural fissure in a structure * Hiatus (stratigraphy), a discontinuity in the age of strata in stratigraphy *''Hiatus'', a genus of picture-winged flies with sole member species '' Hiatus fulvipes'' * G ...

) through the inferior space between the oblique and medial heads of adductor magnus.

Clinical significance

The saphenous nerve may be compressed in the adductor canal. The adductor canal may be accessed for a saphenous nerve block, often used to treat pain caused by this compression.

History

The eponym 'Hunter’s canal' is named for John Hunter.

Additional Images

File:Slide6FFFFF.JPG, Adductor canal File:Slide6JJJJ.JPG, Adductor canal

References

External links