Descending genicular artery
| Descending genicular artery | |
|---|---|
 Arteries of the thigh. The descending genicular artery and its branches visible at the bottom right | |
| Details | |
| Source | femoral artery |
| Branches | saphenous and muscular and articular branches |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | arteria descendens genus |
| TA98 | A12.2.16.017 |
| TA2 | 4682 |
| FMA | 22506 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The descending genicular artery (also known as the highest genicular artery) arises from the femoral artery just before its passage through the adductor hiatus.
The descending geniculate artery immediately divides into two branches:[contradictory] a saphenous branch (which classically joins with the medial inferior genicular artery), and muscular and articular branches.[1]
Structure
Branches
Saphenous branch
The saphenous branch pierces the aponeurotic covering of the adductor canal, and accompanies the saphenous nerve to the medial side of the knee. It passes between the sartorius muscle and the gracilis muscle, and, piercing the fascia lata, is distributed to the integument of the upper and medial part of the leg, anastomosing with the medial inferior genicular artery.
Articular branches
The articular branches descend within the
A branch from this vessel crosses above the
References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 631 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
- OCLC 1043363128.
