Variations in the branching pattern of femoral artery in full term human fetuses

Abstract

Introduction: Femoral vessel catheterization is used in neonatal intensive care units for various neonatal health conditions. The present study is to find out the variations in the branching pattern of femoral artery in new born babies which could increase the risk of complications. Materials and Methods: 10 full term dead embalmed fetuses were collected from the Department of Anatomy. Total 20 lower limbs were dissected. Results: Out of 20 extremities 9 showed variations and 11 were normal. Variations observed were – common truck for superficial circumflex femoral and superficial external pudendal arteries, medial; circumflex femoral artery from femoral artery, common point of origin of medial and lateral circumflex femoral and profunda femoris artery and double femoral artery. Conclusion: The variations found in this study may be helpful to the neonatal and pediatric surgeons while dealing with femoral vessel catheterization. Keywords: Femoral artery, Variations, Catheterization, Profunda femoris, Ischemia