Vol 68, No 3 (2009)
Case report
Published online: 2009-05-13
Medial circumflex femoral artery with different origin and course: a case report and review of the literature
Folia Morphol 2009;68(3):188-191.
Abstract
The femoral artery (FA) and its branches play important roles in the arterial supply of
the lower extremity. If the femoral artery is occluded, the circulation of the extremity
is maintained by certain anastomoses. Therefore, identification of variations of these
arteries is critical from a clinical and surgical point of view. During routine anatomical
dissections for student education at the Department of Anatomy of the School of
Medicine at Ondokuz Mayls University, a variation of the medial circumflex femoral
artery (MCFA) was observed and photographed in a male, formalin-fixed cadaver
aged 55 years. In this case, MCFA branched off from the posterolateral
aspect of the FA, 32 mm distal to the inguinal ligament. A frequency rate of 17–26%
has been reported regarding this variation. However, MCFA emerging from the
postero-lateral aspect of the FA and its course, as in this case, is not that frequent.
Knowledge of anomalies in the emergence and course of the arteries that join the
cruciate anastomosis and are important in the arterial supply of the head and neck
of the femur appear to be a critical component that requires caution during surgical
interventions towards this region.
Keywords: anatomymedial circumflex femoral arteryvariation
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