Anatomy study note · Lower limb

Popliteal artery

The continuation of the femoral artery through the popliteal fossa. It ends at the lower border of popliteus by dividing into the anterior and posterior tibial arteries.

Key points

• Adductor hiatus → lower border of popliteus.
• Deepest in the fossa (vein and nerve superficial).
• Genicular anastomosis round the knee.
• Ends as anterior + posterior tibial arteries.
• Lower limb axis artery: 5th lumbar intersegmental.
• Femoral artery is a new vessel.
• Artery: intima / media (smooth muscle) / adventitia.
• Most named arteries are muscular; aorta is elastic.

The full note in the atlas also covers

Relations · Branches · Histology · Development · Clinical notes

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Written from

• Snell’s Clinical Anatomy by Regions, 10th ed., ch. 11, PDF pp. 1334–1335
• Inderbir Singh’s Human Embryology, ch. 15, PDF p. 258
• BRS Cell Biology & Histology, 7th ed., ch. 11, PDF pp. 197–199

More from the lower limb

• Popliteal lymph nodes
• Popliteal vein
• Popliteus
• Posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh
• Posterior tibial artery
• Profunda femoris artery
• Quadriceps femoris
• Retinacula of the ankle
• Saphenous nerve
• Sartorius
• Sciatic nerve
• Semimembranosus

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