A cadaveric study of variations in the origin of medial circumflex femoral artery

Abstract

The medial circumflex femoral artery is the chief source of blood supply to head and neck of femur. So, the precise knowledge of the anatomy of the artery is essential during reconstructive surgeries of the hip joint and if it is damaged, may cause a vascular necrosis of the head of femur. We have done this study to determine the mode of origin and the distance of origin of medial circumflex femoral artery from the origin of profunda femoris artery and from mid-inguinal point when it arises from femoral artery. We dissected 130 femoral triangles in 65 human cadavers which revealed interesting variations. Medial circumflex femoral artery originated from profunda femoris artery in 116 cases and from femoral artery in 14 cases. In most of the cases, the distance of origin of medial circumflex femoral artery from the origin of profunda femoris artery was ranging from 0 to 10 mm. Variations in the arterial patterns may be due to the divergence in the mode and proximo-distal level of branching or aberrant vessels that connect with the principal vessels, arcades or plexuses during the development of the blood vessels. Thus the knowledge of these variations can be of great help to the surgeons in reducing the chances of intra-operative secondary haemorrhage and post-operative complications.