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
- Sup. medial genicular art.
- S: the bone of femoral condyles. + superior part of Patella
- Inf. lateral genicular art.
- Infer. medial genicular art.
- S: tibial chondyles + inf. part of pattela.
- middle genicular artery.
- S: cruciate ligament.
- Sural arteries
- S: gastrocnemius muscle.
- Terminal branches
- Anterior tibial artery
- Post. tibial artery.
→ Pattelar Network " Anastmose of blood vessels around the platella"
- Descending genicular art. (deep branch of femoral art.)
- → Sup. medial genicular art. → Inf. medial genicular branch
- Saphenus branch → Inf. medial genicular branch
- Descinding branch of lateral circumflex femoral → Sup. lateral genicular art. → Inf. lateral " "
- Sup. lateral Anterior + Posterior recurrent branches of anterior tibial artery → Inf. lateral " "
- Circumflex fibular branch of posterior tibial art. → Inf. lateral " "