| femoral arch | <anatomy> A fibrous band formed by the thickened inferior border of the aponeurosis of the external oblique that extends from the anterior superior spine of the ilium to the pubic tubercle bridging, muscular and vascular lacunae;forms the floor of the inguinal canal; gives origin to the lowermost fibres of internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles. See: aponeurosis of external abdominal oblique muscle. Synonym: ligamentum inguinale, arcus inguinalis, crural arch, fallopian arch, fallopian ligament, femoral arch, Poupart's ligament. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| femoral artery | <anatomy, artery> The main artery of the thigh, a continuation of the external iliac artery. (12 Dec 1998) |
| femoral branch of genitofemoral nerve | <anatomy, nerve> Branch of genitofemoral nerve distributed to skin of uppermost part of anterior thigh. Synonym: ramus femoralis nervi genitofemoralis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| femoral canal | The medial compartment of the femoral sheath. Synonym: canalis femoralis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| femoral fossa | A depression on the peritoneal surface of the abdominal wall, inferior to the inguinal ligament, corresponding to the situation of the femoral ring. Synonym: crural fossa, fovea femoralis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| femoral fractures | Fractures of the femur. (12 Dec 1998) |
| femoral hernia | <surgery> A common type of groin hernia which occurs most often in obese females. A groin mass (due to a loop of bowel) may be noted with coughing or straining. If the hernia becomes incarcerated (trapped) it may strangulate (cut off the blood supply) and become a life threatening surgical emergency. (27 Sep 1997) |
| femoral muscle | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, upper three-fourths of anterior surface of shaft of femur; insertion, tibial tuberosity by way of common tendon of quadriceps femoris and patellar ligament; action, extends leg; nerve supply, femoral. Synonym: musculus vastus intermedius, crureus, femoral muscle, intermediate great muscle, intermediate vastus muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| femoral neck fractures | Fractures of the short, constricted portion of the thigh bone between the femur head and the trochanters. It excludes intertrochanteric fractures which are hip fractures. (12 Dec 1998) |
| femoral nerve | <anatomy, nerve> A nerve originating in the lumbar spinal cord (usually l2 to l4) and traveling through the lumbar plexus to provide motor innervation to extensors of the thigh and sensory innervation to parts of the thigh, lower leg, and foot, and to the hip and knee joints. (12 Dec 1998) |
| femoral opening | The aperture in the aponeurotic insertion of the adductor magnus that transmits the femoral artery and vein from the adductor canal to the popliteal space. Synonym: hiatus tendineus, hiatus adductorius, femoral opening, tendinous opening. (05 Mar 2000) |
| femoral plexus | An autonomic plexus surrounding the femoral artery, derived from the iliac plexus. Synonym: plexus femoralis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| femoral reflex | Scratching the skin of the upper part of the front of the thigh causes extension of the knee and flexion of the foot. (05 Mar 2000) |
| femoral region | The region of the thigh between hip and knee. Synonym: regio femoralis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| femoral ring | The superior opening of the femoral canal, bounded anteriorly by the inguinal ligament, posteriorly by the pectineus muscle, medially by the lacunar ligament, and laterally by the femoral vein. Passageway by which many lymphatics from lower limb pass to abdomen. Accommodates enlargement of femoral vein in Valsalva manoeuvre. Often occupied by a lymph node (Cloquet's) and is the site of femoral hernias. Synonym: annulus femoralis, crural ring. (05 Mar 2000) |