Cardiovascular system · Lower limb
Deep femoral vein !
The deep femoral vein drains the deep thigh muscles into the femoral vein, running in front of its artery.
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What it is
A deep vein running with the deep femoral artery.
What it does
Drains the deep thigh muscles into the femoral vein.
Key facts
- Drains
- Perforating and circumflex femoral veins; deep thigh muscles
- Into
- Femoral vein, a few cm below inguinal ligament
Relations
- Course
- Formed by the perforating veins along the back of the femur, it rises in front of its artery and joins the back of the femoral vein in the femoral triangle
- Behind
- The deep femoral artery
- In front
- The adductor longus, separating it from the femoral artery and femoral vein
How to find it
Not palpable. On ultrasound it is followed as the vein that joins the femoral vein from behind a few centimetres below the inguinal ligament; this junction is a standard checkpoint in a DVT scan.
On imaging
Compression ultrasound checks it at its junction with the femoral vein, a few centimetres below the groin, as part of a standard DVT scan; a clot shows as a vein that does not compress. Lower down it lies in front of the deep femoral artery and is harder to follow, so it is often assessed only at its upper end. CT or MR venography is used when ultrasound is unclear.
Clinical notes
- Because it keeps draining the thigh, the femoral vein can be harvested as a large conduit for arterial reconstruction when this junction is preserved
- A clot at its junction with the femoral vein counts as proximal DVT
Related conditions
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Into which vein does the deep femoral vein drain, and where?
Into the femoral vein, joining it from behind a few centimetres below the inguinal ligament, in the femoral triangle.
How does the deep femoral vein lie relative to the deep femoral artery?
In front of it, unlike the femoral vessels higher up, where the vein lies medial to the artery.
Why is a clot at the junction of the deep femoral vein and the femoral vein important on a DVT scan?
It counts as proximal DVT; this junction is a standard checkpoint on ultrasound.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- vena profunda femoris TA2 5070
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Vena femoral profunda
- English (TA2)
- Deep femoral vein
- Also called
- profunda femoris vein · deep vein of thigh
Related
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Femoral Triangle; Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Femoral Sheath.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
