Popliteal artery

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Popliteal artery
Popliteal artery.png
The arteries of the gluteal and posterior femoral regions. (Popliteal labeled at bottom center.)
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Lymph glands of popliteal fossa.
Details
Sourcefemoral artery
Branchesanterior tibial, posterior tibial artery, sural, superior genicular (medial, lateral), middle genicular, inferior genicular (medial, lateral)
Veinpopliteal vein
Identifiers
Latinarteria poplitea
MeSHD011150
TAA12.2.16.033
FMA77155
Anatomical terminology

The popliteal artery is a deeply placed continuation of the femoral artery after it passes through the adductor hiatus, or opening in the distal portion of the adductor magnus muscle. It courses through the popliteal fossa and ends at the lower border of the popliteus muscle, where it branches into the anterior and posterior tibial arteries.

The deepest (most anterior) structure in the fossa, the popliteal artery runs in close proximity to the joint capsule of the knee as it spans the periarticular 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, which may kink the popliteal artery.[1]

Structure

Relations

Branches

The branches of the popliteal artery are:

Muscular branches of the popliteal artery supply the hamstring, gastrocnemius, soleus, and plantaris muscles. The superior muscular branches of the popliteal artery have clinically important anastomoses with the terminal part of the deep femoral and gluteal arteries.

Tibial-fibular trunk

Main article: Tibial-fibular trunk

The fibular artery typically arises from the posterior tibial artery.[2] Therefore, the posterior tibial artery proximal to the fibular artery origin is sometimes called the tibial-peroneal trunk or tibial-fibular trunk and it could be said that the popliteal artery bifurcates into the tibial-fibular trunk and anterior tibial artery.