Descending genicular artery

The descending genicular artery (highest genicular artery) arises from the femoral artery just before it passes through the adductor hiatus.

Descending genicular artery
Arteries of the thigh. The descending genicular artery and its branches visible at the bottom right
Details
Sourcefemoral artery
Branchessaphenous and muscular and articular branches
Identifiers
Latinarteria descendens genus
TA98A12.2.16.017
TA24682
FMA22506
Anatomical terminology

It immediately divides into two branches:

  • a saphenous branch, which classically joins with the medial inferior genicular artery.[1]
  • muscular and articular branches.[1]

Structure

Saphenous branch

The saphenous branch pierces the aponeurotic covering of the adductor canal, and accompanies the saphenous nerve to the medial side of the knee. It passes between the sartorius muscle and the gracilis muscle, and, piercing the fascia lata, is distributed to the integument of the upper and medial part of the leg, anastomosing with the medial inferior genicular artery.

Articular branches

The articular branches descend within the vastus medialis muscle, and in front of the tendon of the adductor magnus muscle, to the medial side of the knee, where they join with the medial superior genicular and anterior recurrent tibial artery.

A branch from this vessel crosses above the patellar surface of the femur, forming an anastomotic arch with the lateral superior genicular artery, and supplying branches to the knee-joint.

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 631 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

  1. Uflacker, Renan. (2015). Atlas of Vascular Anatomy : an Angiographic Approach. Wolters Kluwer Health. ISBN 978-1-4698-7587-3. OCLC 1043363128.
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