The femoral vessels are those blood vessels passing through the
femoral ring into the
femoral canal[1] thereby passing down the length of the thigh until
behind the knee. These large vessel are the:
Femoral artery (also known in this location as the common femoral artery) and
Lymphatic vessels found in the thigh aren’t usually included in this collective noun.
As the blood vessels pass along the thigh, they branch, with their main branches remaining closely associated, where they are still referred to collectively as femoral vessels.[2][3]
The adjective femoral, in this case, relates to the thigh, which contains the
femur.
The relative position of these two large vessels is very important in medicine and surgery, because several medical interventions involve puncturing one or the other of them.[4][5] Reliably distinguishing between them is therefore important. The location of the vessel is also used as an anatomical landmark for the
femoral nerve.
^Purdue, GF; Hunt, JL (1986). "Vascular access through the femoral vessels: indications and complications". The Journal of Burn Care & Rehabilitation. 7 (6): 498–500.
doi:
10.1097/00004630-198611000-00011.
PMID3429482.
^Mazzitelli, D; Guenzinger, R; Schreiber, C; Tassani-Prell, P; Lange, R (July 2008). "Percutaneous cannulation of the femoral vessels for cardiopulmonary bypass". Herz. 33 (5): 374–6.
doi:
10.1007/s00059-008-3043-2.
PMID18773158.