Lateral circumflex femoral artery

The lateral circumflex femoral artery (lateral femoral circumflex artery, external circumflex artery) is an artery in the upper thigh.The femoral artery.Labeled arteries of the thigh.Arteries of the thigh labeled with numbers. The lateral circumflex femoral is labeled as #5.Lateral circumflex femoral artery The lateral circumflex femoral artery (lateral femoral circumflex artery, external circumflex artery) is an artery in the upper thigh. The lateral femoral circumflex artery arises from the lateral side of the profunda femoris artery, passes horizontally between the divisions of the femoral nerve, and behind the sartorius and rectus femoris, and divides into ascending, transverse, and descending branches. The lateral femoral circumflex artery may occasionally arise directly from the femoral artery.The artery usually courses anterior to the femoral neck and in between the branches of femoral nerve. A rare variant where the artery passes posterior to the femoral nerve has also been reported which is of great significance to the surgeon.