Popliteal artery

Artery: Popliteal artery
Arteries of the lower limb - posterior view.
Latin	A. Poplitea
Gray's	subject #159
Supplies
From	femoral artery
To	peroneal artery, anterior tibial artery, posterior tibial artery
Vein	popliteal vein
MeSH	A07.231.114.681

Gray's Fig. 544 - The arteries of the gluteal and posterior femoral regions.

In human anatomy, the popliteal artery is defined as the extension of the femoral artery after passing through the adductor canal above the knee. It gives-off a branch to the lateral compartment of the leg, known as the peroneal artery and then bifurcates into the anterior tibial artery and posterior tibial artery.

The popliteal artery, through numerous smaller branches, supplies blood to the knee joint and muscles in the thigh and calf. It is accompanied, along its length, by the popliteal vein.

Embryologically, the popliteal artery is derived from the fetal sciatic artery, which is distinct from the femoral artery.

Its pulse can be palpated behind the knee, but is generally more challenging to find than other arteries of the leg.

External link

• The Arteries of the Lower Extremity - Gray's Anatomy.

The content of this page is retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popliteal_artery under GFDL