femoral

views updated May 21 2018

femoral (fem-er-ăl) adj. of or relating to the thigh or to the femur. f. artery an artery arising from the external iliac artery. It runs down the front medial aspect of the thigh, passing into the back of the thigh two-thirds of the way down. f. epiphysis the growth area of the upper end of the femur; partial dislocation leads to deformity of the head of the bone and premature degeneration of the hip joint. f. neck the narrowed end of the femur, which carries the head: the commonest site of fracture of the leg in elderly women. f. nerve the nerve that supplies the quadriceps muscle at the front of the thigh and receives sensation from the front and inner sides of the thigh. f. triangle (Scarpa's triangle) a triangular depression on the inner side of the thigh bounded by the sartorius and adductor longus muscles and the inguinal ligament. The pulse can be felt here as the femoral artery lies over the depression.

femoral

views updated May 14 2018

femoral (anat.) pert. to the femur. XVIII. f. L. femur, -or- thigh, whence femur XVIII; see -AL1.

femoral

views updated May 11 2018

femoral Of or relating to the thigh or the femur (thigh bone). For example, the femoral artery runs down the front of the thigh.