Morphological assessments of the femural artery origin by angio-CT examination

Abstract

Introduction. The arterial blood supply of the lower limb is provided by the extrapelvic branches of the hypogastric artery and by the branches of the femoral artery (FA), which represents the main artery of the lower limb. Material and methods In our study, we assessed the morphology of the femoral artery (FA) in 65 male and female subjects, aged between 25 and 70 years, using 1,060 angiographic images from the Medimar Medical Imaging Center of the “Sfântul Apostol Andrei” Constanța County Emergency Clinical Hospital. Results In most cases, the origin of both the right and left femoral arteries was located at the midpoint of the inguinal ligament (IL). Both the minimum and maximum lengths were found to be shorter in the right FA compared to the left FA. The average FA diameter was smaller in males compared to females by 0.16 mm on the right side and by 2.02 mm on the left side. The vertical endoluminal diameter at the origin of both the right and left FA was greater than the horizontal diameter by 0.2–1.4 mm. Conclusions Knowledge of the normal parameters of the femoral artery in healthy male and female subjects is of significant anatomical and clinical importance (medical, radiological, and surgical), considering the interventions performed in this region. Abbreviations: FA – femoral artery; AaF – femoral arteries; DFA – deep femoral artery; IL – inguinal ligament.