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Case Reports
. 2024 Jan 11;16(1):e52117.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.52117. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Anatomical Variant of the Lateral Circumflex Femoral Artery: A Cadaveric Case Report

Mason P Granger  1 , Megan E Gremillion  1 , Driskell R Greene  1 , Tristan M Halbrook  1 , Sanjeev S Gummandi  1 , Adegbenro O Fakoya  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Anatomical Variant of the Lateral Circumflex Femoral Artery: A Cadaveric Case Report

Mason P Granger et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The lateral circumflex femoral artery (LCFA), a branch of the deep femoral artery (DFA), supplies the muscular and fascial anatomy of the anterior thigh. An undocumented variation of the LCFA was discovered during a dissection of the lower extremities. The LCFA is a vital vessel that can be used in coronary artery bypass grafts (CABGs) and reconstructive and bypass surgical procedures. On the other hand, the LCFA is susceptible to iatrogenic damage during surgeries involving the hip joint and procedures such as femoral nerve blocks. Knowledge of variations in the origin and course of the LFCA, like many other anatomical structures, is an important concept that physicians and health care providers must be aware of when performing anterior thigh procedures. This case report shows an interesting duplication of the LCFA, the first originating superiorly from the common femoral artery (CFA) and the second from the deep femoral artery (DFA) inferiorly. Both LCFAs exhibited typical trifurcation into ascending, descending, and transverse branches.

Keywords: anatomical variant; anatomy; cadaver; deep femoral artery; femoral artery; lateral circumflex femoral artery.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Typical anatomy of the origin of the LCFA
The LCFA typically arises from the DFA with its three branches: ascending, transverse, and descending LCFA: lateral circumflex femoral artery; DFA: deep femoral artery Image Credits: Megan E. Gremillion
Figure 2
Figure 2. Femoral triangle of the right leg of an elderly male cadaver
Duplicated LCFAs (A and B), CFA (C), DFA (D), MCFA (E), duplicated ascending branches (F and G), duplicated transverse branches (H and I), and duplicated descending branches (J and K) are shown. LCFA: lateral circumflex femoral artery; CFA: common femoral artery; DFA: deep femoral artery; MCFA: medial circumflex femoral artery
Figure 3
Figure 3. Duplication of the LCFA and its branches
LCFA 1 arising from the DFA being the typical course, and LCFA 2 being the abnormal duplication emerging from the CFA LCFA: lateral circumflex femoral artery; DFA: deep femoral artery; CFA: common femoral artery Image Credits: Megan E. Gremillion
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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