Femoral artery

The femoral artery is the main arterial supply to the lower limb. It begins as a continuation of the external iliac artery below the inguinal ligament and travels down the thigh, supplying blood to the thigh muscles through its branches. It then continues as the popliteal artery behind the knee to supply the leg and foot.

The femoral pulse is palpated at the mid-inguinal point, midway between the anterior superior iliac spine and the pubic symphysis, where the artery lies just below the inguinal ligament. This is a critical site in emergency medicine for assessing circulation and for performing arterial access procedures. The femoral triangle provides a reliable landmark for locating the artery.

The femoral artery is large, accessible, and easily compressible after a procedure, making it an ideal access site for cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography. A catheter introduced through the femoral artery can be advanced through the aorta to reach the coronary arteries or heart chambers. Radial artery access has become more common in recent years due to lower complication rates.

A pseudoaneurysm is a collection of blood outside the arterial wall, contained by surrounding tissues rather than the arterial wall itself. It forms when there is incomplete sealing of the arteriotomy site after catheterization. Unlike a true aneurysm, the wall is not composed of arterial layers. It presents as a pulsatile groin mass and can be treated with ultrasound-guided compression or thrombin injection.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) commonly affects the femoral and popliteal arteries through atherosclerotic plaque buildup, which narrows the vessel lumen and reduces blood flow to the leg. This causes intermittent claudication—calf pain with walking that resolves with rest—and in severe cases can lead to rest pain, ulcers, and gangrene requiring limb amputation.