Popliteal artery

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Artery: Popliteal artery

The arteries of the gluteal and posterior femoral regions. (Popliteal labeled at bottom center.)

Lymph glands of popliteal fossa.
Latin	arteria poplitea
Gray's	p.632
Source	femoral artery
Branches	anterior tibial, posterior tibial artery, sural, superior genicular (medial, lateral), middle genicular, inferior genicular (medial, lateral)
Vein	popliteal vein
MeSH	Popliteal+Artery

In human anatomy, the popliteal artery is defined as the extension of the "superficial" femoral artery after passing through the adductor canal and adductor hiatus above the knee. The termination of the popliteal artery is its bifurcation into the anterior tibial artery and posterior tibial artery.

The popliteal artery, through numerous smaller branches, supplies blood to the knee joint and muscles in the thigh and calf. It is accompanied, along its length, by the popliteal vein.

Branches

The branches of the popliteal artery are:

anterior tibial artery
posterior tibial artery
sural artery
medial superior genicular artery
lateral superior genicular artery
middle genicular artery
lateral inferior genicular artery
medial inferior genicular artery

Tibial-fibular trunk

Main article: Tibial-fibular trunk

The fibular artery typically arises from the posterior tibial artery.^[1] Therefore, the posterior tibial artery proximal to the fibular artery origin is sometimes called the tibial-peroneal trunk or tibial-fibular trunk and it could be said that the popliteal artery bifurates into the tibial-fibular trunk and anterior tibial artery.

Pulse

Its pulse can be palpated behind the knee when it is semi-flexed, but is generally more challenging to find than other arteries of the leg; thus, a readily-detectable and easy-to-find popliteal pulse may actually suggest some pathology.

Additional images

Popliteal artery
The popliteal, posterior tibial, and peroneal arteries.
Muscles of thigh. Lateral view.

References

↑ Day C, Orme R (2006). "Popliteal artery branching patterns -- an angiographic study". Clin Radiol 61 (8): 696–9. doi:10.1016/j.crad.2006.03.014. PMID 16843754.

External links

SUNY Figs 12:04-10 - "Arteries of the lower extremity shown in association with major landmarks."
Popliteal+artery at eMedicine Dictionary
Image at umich.edu - pulse

List of arteries of lower limbs / EIA (TA A12.2.16, GA 6.623)

Inferior epigastric

cremasteric ♂ / round ligament ♀

Deep circumflex iliac

ascending branch of deep circumflex iliac

Femoral
(EIA after IL)

In femoral canal	superficial epigastric superficial circumflex iliac superficial external pudendal deep external pudendal (anterior scrotal ♂)

Descending genicular	saphenous branch articular branches

Profunda femoris	medial circumflex femoral (ascending, superficial, deep, acetabular) lateral circumflex femoral (descending, transverse, ascending) perforating

Popliteal
(FA after AH)

Genicular	superior genicular (medial, lateral) middle genicular inferior genicular (medial, lateral)

Sural	no major branches

Anterior tibial	tibial recurrent (posterior anterior) anterior malleolar (medial, lateral) dorsalis pedis: tarsal (medial, lateral)

Posterior tibial	circumflex fibular fibular medial plantar lateral plantar

Arches	arcuate: dorsal metatarsal / first dorsal metatarsal deep plantar dorsal digital arteries plantar arch: plantar metatarsal common plantar digital proper plantar digital

M: VAS

anat (a:h/u/t/a/l,v:h/u/t/a/l)/phys/devp/cell/prot

noco/syva/cong/lyvd/tumr, sysi/epon, injr

proc, drug (C2s+n/3/4/5/7/8/9)

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