In anatomy, the saphenous opening (saphenous hiatus, also fossa ovalis) is an oval opening in the upper mid part of the

fascia lata The fascia lata is the deep fascia of the thigh. It encloses the thigh muscles and forms the outer limit of the fascial compartments of thigh, which are internally separated by the medial intermuscular septum and the lateral intermuscular septu ...

of the thigh. It lies 3–4 cm below and lateral to the

pubic tubercle The pubic tubercle is a prominent tubercle on the superior ramus of the pubis bone of the pelvis. Structure The pubic tubercle is a prominent forward-projecting tubercle on the upper border of the medial portion of the superior ramus of th ...

and is about 3 cm long and 1.5 cm wide.

Structure

Just inferolateral to the

the fascia extends downwards forming an arched (falciform) margin of the lateral boundary of the opening. It is covered by a thin perforated part of the superficial fascia called the

fascia cribrosa The cribriform fascia, fascia cribrosa also Hesselbach's fascia is the portion of fascia covering the saphenous opening in the thigh. It is perforated by the great saphenous vein and by numerous blood and lymphatic vessels. (A structure in anatom ...

which is pierced by the

great saphenous vein The great saphenous vein (GSV, alternately "long saphenous vein"; ) is a large, subcutaneous, superficial vein of the leg. It is the longest vein in the body, running along the length of the lower limb, returning blood from the foot, leg and thig ...

, the 3 superficial branches of the

femoral artery The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the thigh and leg. The femoral artery gives off the deep femoral artery or profunda femoris artery and descends along the anteromedial part of the thigh in the fem ...

(except

superficial circumflex iliac artery The superficial iliac circumflex artery (or superficial circumflex iliac), the smallest of the cutaneous branches of the femoral artery, arises close to the superficial epigastric artery, and, piercing the fascia lata, runs lateralward, parallel wi ...

, which pierces

lateral to the saphenous opening), and

lymphatics The lymphatic vessels (or lymph vessels or lymphatics) are thin-walled vessels (tubes), structured like blood vessels, that carry lymph. As part of the lymphatic system, lymph vessels are complementary to the cardiovascular system. Lymph vessel ...

. It transmits the great saphenous vein and other smaller vessels including the

superficial epigastric artery The superficial epigastric artery (not to be confused with the superior epigastric artery) arises from the front of the femoral artery about 1 cm below the inguinal ligament, and, passing through the femoral sheath and the fascia cribrosa ...

and

superficial external pudendal artery The superficial external pudendal artery (superficial external pudic artery) is one of the three pudendal arteries. It arises from the medial side of the femoral artery, close to the superficial epigastric artery and superficial iliac circumflex ...

, as well as the femoral branch of the

genitofemoral nerve The genitofemoral nerve refers to a nerve that is found in the abdomen. Its branches, the genital branch and femoral branch supply sensation to the upper anterior thigh, as well as the skin of the anterior scrotum in males and mons pubis in femal ...

. The fascia cribrosa, which is pierced by the structures passing through the opening, closes the aperture and must be removed to expose it.

Clinical

Femoral Hernia Femoral hernias occur just below the inguinal ligament, when abdominal contents pass through a naturally occurring weakness in the abdominal wall called the femoral canal. Femoral hernias are a relatively uncommon type, accounting for only 3% of ...

, a protrusion of intra-abdominal organ(usually

small intestine The small intestine or small bowel is an organ in the gastrointestinal tract where most of the absorption of nutrients from food takes place. It lies between the stomach and large intestine, and receives bile and pancreatic juice through the p ...

), courses through the

femoral ring The femoral ring is the opening at the proximal, abdominal end of the femoral canal, and represents the (superiorly directed/oriented) base of the conically-shaped femoral canal. The femoral ring is oval-shaped, with its long diameter being direct ...

femoral canal The femoral canal is the medial (and smallest) compartment of the three compartments of the femoral sheath. It is conical in shape. The femoral canal contains lymphatic vessels, and adipose and loose connective tissue, as well as - sometimes - a ...

and saphenous opening sequentially.

Additional images

File:Gray580.png, The great saphenous vein and its tributaries at the fossa ovalis. File:Slide2por.JPG, Superficial veins of lower limb Superficial dissection. Anterior view.

External links

{{Authority control Lower limb anatomy