Femoral canal

The femoral canal (canalis femoralis) is 1-3 cm long and has three walls. The lateral wall of the canal is formed by the femoral vein, the anterior wall is formed by the falcate edge and the upper horn of the broad fascia (of the thigh). The posteromedial wall of the canal is formed by the deep leaflet of the broad fascia, which covers the pectineus muscle in this area. The subcutaneous ring (anulus saphenus) of the femoral canal is limited on the lateral side by the falcate edge and covered by a thin cribriform fascia (fascia cribrosa). The deep femoral ring, which normally contains a small amount of loose tissue and the Pirogov-Rosenmüller lymph node, has four walls. The anterior wall of the deep ring is the inguinal ligament, the lateral wall is the femoral vein, the medial wall is the lacunar ligament (lig.lacunare), and the posterior wall is the pectineal ligament (lig.peclinale), which is the periosteum reinforced with fibrous fibers in the area of the pubic crest. The lacunar ligament is formed by connective tissue fibers that extend from the medial end of the inguinal ligament posteriorly and laterally along the edge of the superior branch of the pubic bone. These fibrous fibers round off the acute angle between the medial end of the inguinal ligament and the pubic bone.

On the anterior surface of the thigh there are important topographic structures. First of all, this is the femoral triangle, limited by the long adductor muscle of the thigh (medially), the sartorius muscle (laterally) and the inguinal ligament (above). Through this triangle, under the skin and under the superficial leaflet of the broad fascia of the thigh, passes the iliopectineal groove (sulcus iliopectineus), limited on the lateral side by the iliopsoas muscle, and on the medial side by the pectineus muscle. The femoral artery and femoral vein are adjacent to this groove. The groove continues downwards into the femoropopliteal, or adductor (Hunter's), canal (canalis adductorius), through which the femoral artery, vein and saphenous nerve pass. The walls of the adductor canal are the medial vastus muscle of the thigh (laterally) and the adductor magnus muscle (medially). The anterior wall of the adductor canal is a fibrous plate stretched between the muscles mentioned above (lamina vastoadductoria, BNA). This plate has an opening - a tendon cleft (hiatus tendineus), through which the subcutaneous nerve and descending genicular artery exit from the canal onto its anteromedial wall. The femoral artery and vein pass through the lower opening of the canal, formed by the tendon of the large adductor muscle and the posterior surface of the femur and opening into the popliteal fossa from above. The muscles on the thigh are covered with a broad fascia.

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