The lateral superior genicular artery is a branch of the
popliteal artery
The popliteal artery is a deeply placed continuation of the femoral artery opening in the distal portion of the adductor magnus muscle. It courses through the popliteal fossa and ends at the lower border of the popliteus muscle, where it branche ...
that supplies a portion of the
knee
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 ...
joint.
Anatomy
Course and relations
It passes above the lateral condyle of the femur. It runs deep to the tendon of the
biceps femoris
The biceps femoris () is a muscle of the thigh located to the posterior, or back. As its name implies, it consists of two heads; the long head is considered part of the hamstring muscle group, while the short head is sometimes excluded from this ...
.
Branches
It divides into a superficial and a deep branch; the superficial branch supplies 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 ...
, and anastomoses with the descending branch of the
lateral femoral circumflex and the
lateral inferior genicular arteries; the deep branch supplies the lower part of the femur and
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 ...
, and forms an anastomotic arch across the front of the bone with the
highest genicular and the
medial inferior genicular arteries.
Additional images
File:Thigh arteries schema.svg, Schema of the arteries arising from the external iliac and femoral arteries.
See also
*
Patellar anastomosis
The patellar network (circulatory anastomosis around the knee-joint, patellar anastomosis, genicular anastomosis, articular vascular network of knee or rete articulare genus) is an intricate network of blood vessels around and above the patella, ...
References
Arteries of the lower limb
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