Artery: Profunda femoris artery
The profunda femoris artery, femoral artery and their major branches - right thigh, anterior view. (Femoral profunda labeled at right center.)
Structures surrounding right hip-joint. (Femoral profunda not labeled, but is visible near center right.)
Latin	arteria profunda femoris
Gray's	subject #157 629
Source	femoral artery
Branches	Lateral femoral circumflex Medial femoral circumflex Perforating
Vein	profunda femoris vein

The profunda femoris artery (also known as the deep femoral artery, or the deep artery of the thigh) is a branch of the femoral artery that, as its name suggests, travels more deeply (posteriorly) than the rest of the femoral artery.

Contents 1 Structure 1.1 Branches 2 Additional images 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Structure

The profunda femoris branches off the femoral artery soon after its origin. It travels down the thigh closer to the femur than the femoral artery, running between the pectineus and the adductor longus, and running on the posterior side of adductor longus. The deep femoral artery does not leave the thigh.

[edit] Branches

The profunda femoris gives off the following branches:

• Lateral femoral circumflex artery
• Medial femoral circumflex artery
• Perforating arteries - perforate the adductor magnus muscle to the posterior and medial compartments of the thigh.

[edit] Additional images

Cross-section through the middle of the thigh.

[edit] See also

• Femoral artery
• Obturator artery

[edit] External links

• Duke Orthopedics profunda_femoris_deep_femoral_artery
• SUNY Figs 12:04-03 - "Arteries of the lower extremity shown in association with major landmarks."
• Cross section at UV pelvis/pelvis-e12-15
• MedEd at Loyola grossanatomy/dissector/labs/le/ant_th_leg/main.html
• antthigh at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (femoralart)

v • d • e List of arteries of lower limbs (TA A12.2.16, GA 6.623) EI: Femoral Superficial superficial epigastric – superficial iliac circumflex External pudendal superficial – deep (anterior scrotal) Profunda femoris lateral circumflex femoral (descending, transverse, ascending) – medial circumflex femoral (ascending, superficial, deep, acetabular) – perforating Descending genicular saphenous branch – articular branches Popliteal Sural no major branches Genicular superior genicular (medial, lateral) – middle genicular – inferior genicular (medial, lateral) Anterior tibial tibial recurrent (posterior, anterior) anterior malleolar (medial, lateral) dorsalis pedis: tarsal (medial, lateral) Posterior tibial circumflex fibular – fibular medial plantar – lateral plantar Arches arcuate: dorsal metatarsal / first dorsal metatarsal – deep plantar – dorsal digital arteries plantar arch: plantar metatarsal – common plantar digital – proper plantar digital