Popliteal fossa

ANATOMY OF POPLITEAL FOSSA

The popliteal fossa is a diamond-shaped space behind the knee

POPLITEAL FOSSA

The adductor hiatus is an opening or

gap formed by the fascia of the adductor

magnus.The adductor hiatus transmits the

femoral artery and vein from the adductor

canal in the thigh to the popliteal fossa

posterior to the knee

The roof of the fossa is formed by the fascia lata, which is here strongly reinforced by transverse fibres. It is pierced by the small saphenous vein and the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve.

The floor is provided, from above downwards, by

the popliteal surface of the femur,

the capsule of the knee joint,

reinforced by the oblique popliteal ligament,

and the popliteus muscle

Deeply, the superior boundaries are

formed by the diverging medial and

lateral supracondylar lines of the

femur. The inferior boundary is

formed by the soleal line of the tibia

The popliteal artery and vein and the tibial and common peroneal nerves pass through the fossa.

A small group of popliteal lymph nodes lie alongside the popliteal vein.

The popliteal artery It enters the popliteal fossa on the medial side of the femur;it lies not only deep but medial to the sciatic nerve

The artery lies successively on the

popliteal surface of the femur, separated

from it by a little fat, on the oblique

popliteal ligament and on the fascia over

the popliteus muscle.

It passes under the fibrous arch in

soleus and immediately divides into

anterior and posterior tibial arteries.

Rarely the popliteal artery may divide

proximal to popliteus

LATERAL

Femoral artery

Popliteal artery

Anterior tibial art.

Posterior tibial art.

Peroneal art.

CLINICALLYpopliteal pulsation against the back of the femur, with the fingertips of both hands pressing into the centre of the fossa

BRANCHES OF POPLITEAL ARTERY

sural arteries that supply the two

heads of gastrocnemius

The genicular arteries are five in

number

The middle genicular artery

pierces the oblique popliteal

ligament to supply the cruciate

ligaments

GENICULAR ANASTOMOSIS a network of vessels surrounding the knee that provides collateral circulation capable of maintaining blood supply to the leg during full knee flexion

Genicular branches

descending genicular branch of

the femoral artery,

the descending branch of the

lateral circumflex femoral artery,

the circumflex fibular branch of

the posterior tibial artery

the anterior and posterior

recurrent branches of the anterior

tibial artery

The common peroneal nerve

(common fibular nerve)runs downwards and laterally, medial to the bicepstendon, and disappears into the substance of peroneuslongus to lie on the neck of the fibula,

I. The sural communicating nerue

2 .The lateral cutaneous nerue of the cal

3 .The superior and inferior genicular nerues,

4 .The recurrent genicular nerue

The tibial nerve runs vertically down along the middle of the fossa and disappears by passing deeplybetween the heads of gastrocnemius

The tibial nerve here has only one cutaneous branch,the sural nerve. lt runs vertically down in the narrow

POPLITEUS:This muscle is attached to a triangular areaon the posterior surface of the tibia above the soleal line.

The tendon lies within the capsule of the knee joint, entering it beneath the arcuate popliteal ligament, to which superficial fibres of the muscle are attached

The femur is rotated laterally to unlock the joint at the commencement of flexion by the popliteus