The
Femoral Triangle
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The foot | Main Anatomy Index | Arteries of the lower limb
Last updated 30 March 2006
The
Femoral Triangle
- This is a clinically important triangular
subfascial space in the superomedial one-third
part of the thigh.
- It appears as a depression inferior to the inguinal
ligament when the thigh is actively flexed at the hip
joint. Its main contents are the femoral
vessels and the femoral
nerve.
Boundaries of the Femoral Triangle (pp. 393,
396)
- It is bounded superiorly by the inguinal
ligament.
- It is bounded medially by the
medial border of the adductor longus muscle.
- It is bounded laterally by the
medial border of the sartorius muscle.
- The muscular floor of
the femoral triangle is not flat but gutter-shaped.
- It is formed from medial to lateral by the adductor
longus, pectineus, and the iliopsoas. It is
the juxtaposition of the iliopsoas and pectineus muscles
that forms the deep gutter in the muscular floor.
- The roof of the femoral
triangle is formed by the fascia
lata, which includes the cribiform fascia.
Surface Anatomy of the Femoral Triangle (p.
396)
- When the thigh is actively flexed at the hip joint, the
femoral triangle appears as a triangular depression in
its proximal third.
- You can easily palpate and usually observe its base, the inguinal ligament.
- Its lateral boundary, the medial border of the sartorius
muscle is obvious in most people but the medial boundary
(the medial border of the adductor longus muscle) is not
usually so easy to identify.
- The femoral pulse can
easily be palpated in the femoral triangle, 2 to 3 cm
inferior to the midpoint of the inguinal ligament. The
head of the femur lies posterior to the femoral artery at
this site, making compression of the vessel easy.
Contents of the Femoral
Triangle