POPLITEAL ARTERY
- Begins as a continuation of the femoral artery at the adductor hiatus.
- It crosses the popliteal fossa (it is the deepest structure in it “artery→vein→nerve”)
- Ends at the lower border of popliteus muscle, by giving anterior and posterior tibial arteries
- At the upper part of the popliteal fossa the vein + nerve are lateral to it.
- 〃 〃 middle part 〃 〃 〃 superficial to it.
- 〃 〃 lower part 〃 〃 〃 medial to it.
- Travels between the two heads of gastrocnemius muscle.
Branches
- Side branches
- Superior lateral genicular artery
- s: the bone of femoral condyles + Superior part of Patella
- Sup. medial genicular art.
- Inf. lateral genicular art.
- s: tibial condyles + inf. part of patella
- Infer. medial genicular art.
- middle genicular artery
- s: Cruciate ligament
- Sural arteries
- s: gastrocnemius muscle
- Terminal branch
- Anterior tibial artery
- Post. tibial artery
→ Patellar Network “Anastmose of blood vessels around the patella”
- Descending genicular art. (deep branch of femoral art.)
- Sup. medial genicular art.
- Inf. medial genicular branch
- saphenus branch
- Descending branch of lateral circumflex femoral
- Sup. lateral genicular art.
- Inf. lateral
- Sup. lateral Anterior + posterior recurrent branches of anterior tibial artery
- circumflex fibular branch of posterior tibial art.