Medial circumflex femoral artery

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

Structure

Origin

The medial femoral circumflex artery arises from the posteromedial aspect of the profunda femoris artery.

The medial femoral circumflex artery may occasionally arise directly from the femoral artery.

Course and relations

It winds around the medial side of the femur to pass along the posterior aspect of the femur. It first passes between the pectineus and the iliopsoas muscles, then between the obturator externus and the adductor brevis muscles.

Branches

At the upper border of the adductor brevis it gives off two branches:

• The ascending branch
• The descending branch descends beneath the adductor brevis, to supply it and 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, pectineus muscle, and external obturator muscle. It delivers most of the arterial supply to the femoral head and femoral neck via branches - the posterior retinacular arteries.