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Femoral triangle – Boundaries & Contents
This specimen shows the femoral triangle and the structures in the front of the thigh.
The femoral triangle, is a triangular area situated in the upper part of the thigh. It is bounded laterally, by the Sartorius muscle, which is the longest muscle of the body, Adductor longus muscle medially and the inguinal ligament above. The chief contents of femoral triangle are the femoral artery, femoral vein and femoral nerve. The other structures, namely, the iliacus, the pectineus, the gracilis, the quadriceps femoris and the great saphenous vein can be identified in this specimen.
Sartorius:
The Sartorius is the longest muscle of the body. Its origin lies at the anterior superior iliac spine and insertion is at the upper part of the medial surface of the tibia. It is supplied by the femoral nerve.
Adductor longus:
The adductor longus is the muscles of the adductor compartment of the thigh. It forms the medial boundary as well as the floor of the femoral triangle. It takes origin from the body of pubis and inserts into the linea aspera of the femur. It is supplied by the obturator nerve.
Inguinal ligament:
The inguinal ligament is formed by the external oblique aponeurosis of the anterior abdominal wall. It extends from the anterior superior iliac spine to the pubic tubercle.
Femoral artery:
The femoral artery is the continuation of the external iliac artery. It is the medial content of the femoral triangle. It is used for embalming, which is a process of preservation of the cadavers for educational purpose.
Femoral vein:
The femoral vein continues upwards as the external iliac vein. It is the intermediate content of the femoral triangle. Its important tributary is the Great saphenous vein.
Femoral nerve:
The femoral nerve is formed from the lumbar plexus. Its root value is dorsal division of ventral rami of L2, L3, L4. The femoral nerve divides into anterior and posterior divisions. The branches from these divisions supply the muscles of the front of the thigh and also gives cutaneous innervation to the skin of the thigh, the lateral part of the leg and the medial part of the dorsum of the foot. The longest cutaneous nerve of the body, that is, the saphenous nerve emerges from the femoral nerve.
Iliacus:
The iliacus is the muscle of the floor of the femoral triangle. It originates from the iliac fossa of the ilium and inserts into the lesser trochanter of the femur. It is supplied by the trunk of the femoral nerve in the pelvis.
Pectineus:
The pectineus is the muscle f the floor of the femoral triangle. Its origin lies at the pubis and insertion lies at the linea aspera. It is supplied by the femoral nerve and the obturator nerve. So it is a hybrid muscle.
Gracilis:
The gracilis is a slender muscle of the adductor region of the thigh. It origin lies at the pubis and insertion lies at the upper part of the medial surface of the tibia. It is supplied by the obturator nerve.
Quadriceps femoris:
The quadriceps femoris consists of four muscels, namely, the rectus femoris, the vastus medialis, the vastus intermedius, the vastus lateralis and the rectus femoris. These muscles join to form a single tendon and insert into the tibial tuberosity as the ligamentum patella. The largest sesamoid bone, known as the patella is present within the tendon. This muscle is supplied by the branches of the femoral nerve.
Great saphenous vein:
The great saphenous vein is the superficial long vein of the lower limb. It is formed in the foot from the dorsal venous arch ad terminates into the femoral vein in the femoral triangle. It passes through the saphenous opening of the fascia lata before it terminates into the femoral vein. Many valves are present in its interior. These valves allow the unidirectional flow of blood. Incompetency of the valves leads to varicose veins.
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