Medial circumflex femoral artery

Medial circumflex femoral artery
The profunda femoris artery, femoral artery and their major branches - right thigh, anterior view. Circumflex femoral arteries labeled.
Details
Source	deep femoral artery, femoral artery
Supplies	thigh
Identifiers
Latin	arteria circumflexa femoris medialis
Dorlands /Elsevier	a_61/12153896
TA	A12.2.16.021
FMA	20799
Anatomical terminology []

The medial circumflex femoral artery (internal circumflex artery, medial femoral circumflex artery) is an artery in the upper thigh that helps supply blood to the neck of the femur. Damage to the artery following a femoral neck fracture may lead to avascular necrosis (ischemic) of the femoral neck/head.

The medial femoral circumflex artery arises from the medial and posterior aspect of the profunda femoris artery, and winds around the medial side of the femur, passing first between the pectineus and iliopsoas muscles, and then between the obturator externus and the adductor brevis muscles.

The medial femoral circumflex artery may occasionally arise directly from the femoral artery.

At the upper border of the adductor brevis it gives off two branches:

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

Medial circumflex femoral artery