The lateral superior genicular artery is a branch of the

popliteal artery The popliteal artery is a deeply placed continuation of the femoral artery opening in the distal portion of the adductor magnus muscle. It courses through the popliteal fossa and ends at the lower border of the popliteus muscle, where it branche ...

that supplies a portion of the knee joint.

Course

It passes above the lateral condyle of the femur, beneath the tendon of the

Biceps femoris The biceps femoris () is a muscle of the thigh located to the posterior, or back. As its name implies, it has two parts, one of which (the long head) forms part of the hamstrings muscle group. Structure It has two heads of origin: *the ''long h ...

Branching

It divides into a superficial and a deep branch; the superficial branch supplies the

vastus lateralis The vastus lateralis (), also called the vastus externus, is the largest and most powerful part of the quadriceps femoris, a muscle in the thigh. Together with other muscles of the quadriceps group, it serves to extend the knee joint, moving the ...

, and anastomoses with the descending branch of the

lateral femoral circumflex 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 ...

and the

lateral inferior genicular The inferior genicular arteries (inferior articular arteries), two in number, arise from the popliteal beneath the gastrocnemius. On the inside of the knee, is the medial inferior genicular artery, and on the outer side is the lateral inferior geni ...

arteries; the deep branch supplies the lower part of the femur and

knee-joint In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the h ...

, and forms an anastomotic arch across the front of the bone with the

highest genicular The descending genicular artery (highest genicular artery) arises from the femoral artery just before it passes through the adductor hiatus. It immediately divides into two branches: * a saphenous branch, which classically joins with the medial ...

and the

medial inferior genicular The inferior genicular arteries (inferior articular arteries), two in number, arise from the popliteal beneath the gastrocnemius. On the inside of the knee, is the medial inferior genicular artery, and on the outer side is the lateral inferior geni ...

arteries.

Additional images

File:Thigh arteries schema.svg, Schema of the arteries arising from the external iliac and femoral arteries.

References

Arteries of the lower limb {{circulatory-stub

Course

Branching

Additional images

See also

References