Trunk vessels (aorta, vena cava, abdominal branches)
Femoral vein
Vena femoralis
- Origin
- Continuation of the popliteal vein at the adductor hiatus
- Insertion
- Ascends through the adductor canal and femoral triangle to become the external iliac vein behind the inguinal ligament
- Function
- Major deep venous trunk returning blood from the entire lower extremity
- Innervation
- Sympathetic vasomotor fibers
- Movement & chain
- Equipped with multiple valves to promote unidirectional cranial flow against gravity
- Palpation
- Not directly palpable; located approximately 1 cm medial to the femoral arterial pulse in the groin
- Clinical
- Proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) carrying a high risk of fatal pulmonary embolism (PE); post-thrombotic syndrome
- Segmental innervation
- Deep systemic venous return
- In clinical practice
- Site for femoral central venous catheterization; compression duplex ultrasound is the gold standard for DVT diagnosis
- Region in the model
- Trunk vessels (aorta, vena cava, abdominal branches)