The deep artery of the thigh, (profunda femoris artery or deep femoral artery) is a large branch 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 f ...

. It travels more deeply (posteriorly) than the rest of the femoral artery.

Structure

The deep artery of the thigh branches off the posterolateral side of the

soon after its origin. It travels down the thigh closer to the

femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates wit ...

than the

. It runs between the

pectineus muscle The pectineus muscle (, from the Latin word ''pecten'', meaning comb) is a flat, quadrangular muscle, situated at the anterior (front) part of the upper and medial (inner) aspect of the thigh. The pectineus muscle is the most anterior adductor o ...

and the

adductor longus muscle In the human body, the adductor longus is a skeletal muscle located in the thigh. One of the adductor muscles of the hip, its main function is to adduct the thigh and it is innervated by the obturator nerve. It forms the medial wall of the ...

. It runs on the posterior side of

. It pierces the

adductor magnus muscle Adductor may refer to: * One of the anatomical terms of motion * Adductor muscle (disambiguation) * Adductor canal The adductor canal, also known as the subsartorial canal or Hunter’s canal, is an aponeurotic tunnel in the middle third of the t ...

, and may be known as the fourth perforating artery as it continues. The deep femoral artery does not leave the

thigh In human anatomy, the thigh is the area between the hip ( pelvis) and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb. The single bone in the thigh is called the femur. This bone is very thick and strong (due to the high proportion of ...

Branches

The deep artery of the thigh gives off the following branches: *

Lateral circumflex femoral artery The lateral circumflex femoral artery, also known as the lateral femoral circumflex artery, or the external circumflex artery, is an artery in the upper thigh. It is usually a branch of the profunda femoris artery, and produces three branches. It i ...

. *

Medial circumflex femoral artery The medial circumflex femoral artery (internal circumflex artery, medial femoral circumflex artery) is an artery in the upper thigh that arises from the profunda femoris artery''.'' Damage to the artery following a femoral neck fracture may lead ...

. * 3

Perforating arteries The perforating arteries, usually three in number, are so named because they perforate the tendon of the Adductor magnus to reach the back of the thigh. They pass backward close to the linea aspera of the femur under cover of small tendinous arche ...

- perforate the

adductor magnus Adductor may refer to: * One of the anatomical terms of motion Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminolo ...

muscle to the posterior and medial

compartment Compartment may refer to: Biology * Compartment (anatomy), a space of connective tissue between muscles * Compartment (chemistry), in which different parts of the same protein serves different functions * Compartment (development), fields of cells ...

s of the thigh to connect with the branches of the popliteal artery behind the knee.

Function

The deep artery of the thigh is the main supply of oxygenated

blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...

to the thigh.

Additional images

File:Thigh cross section.svg, Cross-section through the middle of the left thigh. File:Thigh arteries schema.svg, A schema of the arteries of the thigh. File:Slide8LLLLL.JPG, Deep artery of the thigh File:Slide18LLLL.JPG, Deep artery of the thigh File:Slide6NNNNN.JPG, Deep artery of the thigh

References

External links