From the Research
The femoral artery transitions to the external iliac artery at the inguinal ligament, which runs from the anterior superior iliac spine to the pubic tubercle, as confirmed by a study published in 2014 1. This ligament serves as the anatomical boundary between the thigh and the abdomen. Similarly, the femoral vein becomes the external iliac vein at this same landmark. To identify this transition point during physical examination or imaging interpretation, locate the inguinal ligament by palpating these bony landmarks or visualizing them on imaging studies. Some key points to consider when identifying the transition from the femoral artery to the external iliac artery include:
- The vessels proximal (above) the inguinal ligament are the external iliac vessels, while those distal (below) are the femoral vessels, as described in a study from 2017 2.
- The external iliac vessels continue deeper into the pelvis, eventually joining with the internal iliac vessels to form the common iliac vessels, while the femoral vessels course distally through the femoral triangle in the anterior thigh.
- Understanding this transition point helps in accurately describing vascular anatomy and pathology in clinical practice, and is crucial for vascular access procedures, surgical approaches, and when describing the location of vascular pathologies, as highlighted in a study from 2022 3. It is also important to note that there can be variations in the anatomy of the iliac arteries system, as reported in a study from 2017 4, which found rare anatomic variants in a single case, including a common trunk of origin of the obturator, inferior epigastric, and medial circumflex femoral arteries, and a medial insertion of the deep femoral artery onto the femoral artery. However, the inguinal ligament remains a reliable landmark for identifying the transition from the femoral artery to the external iliac artery, and its location can be confirmed using imaging studies or physical examination, as described in the literature 1, 2.