Medial circumflex femoral artery

Damage to the artery following a femoral neck fracture may lead to avascular necrosis (ischemic) of the femoral neck/head.^[2]

Structure

Origin

The medial femoral circumflex artery arises from the posteromedial aspect of the

The medial femoral circumflex artery may occasionally arise directly from the femoral artery.^{[citation needed]}

Course and relations

It winds around the medial side of the

• The ascending branch
• The descending branch descends beneath the
  adductor magnus
  ; the continuation of the vessel passes backward and divides into superficial, deep, and acetabular branches.
  • The superficial branch
  • The deep branch
  • The acetabular branch

Distribution

The medial femoral circumflex artery (with its branches) supplies arterial blood to several muscles, including: the adductor muscles of the hip, gracilis muscle,^[1][3] pectineus muscle,^[3] and external obturator muscle.^[1] It delivers most of the arterial supply to the femoral head and femoral neck via branches - the posterior retinacular arteries.^[4]

Clinical significance

Branches of the medial circumflex femoral artery supplying the head and neck of the femur are often torn in femoral neck fractures and in hip dislocation.^[4]

See also

• Lateral femoral circumflex artery

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 630 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

• 
  Medial circumflex femoral artery

External links

• Medial femoral circumflex artery at the Duke University Health System's Orthopedics program
• Anatomy figure: 12:04-06 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Arteries of the lower extremity shown in association with major landmarks."