Posted by lae2 on August 16, 2009 at 14:45:28:
In Reply to: Re: Deep femoral artery posted by lae2 on August 16, 2009 at 14:13:55:
: : Is the femoral artery still within the femoral sheath when the deep femoral artery arises from it?
: This is an interesting question. What inspired it? In general, the femoral sheath extends inferior from the inguinal ligament by about 3-4 cm. How far inferior to the inguinal ligament is the branching of the deep femoral artery? The branching patterns of arteries can vary widely from cadaver to cadaver and from limb to limb within a cadaver. I suspect that the answer to your question is variable. See what Gray's has to say. I shall look into this.
I found estimates for the branching of the deep femoral artery to be 2-5 cm inferior the the inguinal ligament. Thus, in the case that the femoral sheath extends 3 cm inferior to the inguinal ligament and the deep femoral artery branches 5 cm inferior then, as logic demands, the deep femoral artery would not be in the sheath. On the other hand, if the artery branched 2 cm inferior and the sheath extended 4 cm inferior then the deep femoral artery would, as demanded by logic, branch within the femoral sheath. Thus, the answer to your question depends on the instance.
Gray's is on my office desk and I am in my kitchen. Both of us need to read Gray's on the matter. Still, the proof in the pudding resides in the laboratory. Great question.