An anatomical study of the origins of the lateral circumflex femoral artery in the Turkish population.

The aim of this study was to investigate the origins of the lateral circumflex femoral artery (LCFA) in the Turkish population. For this purpose, we investigated 110 inguinal regions of 56 cadavers between 1997 and 2007. The LCFA was found to be branched from the deep femoral artery (DFA) in 85 (77.3%) cases and from the femoral artery (FA) in 21 (19.1%) cases. In two (1.8%) cases the ascending and the descending branches of the LCFA branched separately from the DFA and FA. There was a common trunk of the DFA and the LCFA in one (0.9%) case, and a common trunk of the DFA, LCFA and the medial circumflex femoral artery (MCFA) (trifurcation) in another (0.9%). We also measured the distance between the mid-inguinal point (MIP) and the origin of the LCFA. For LCFAs branching from the DFA the mean distance between these points was 4.8 +/- 1.2 cm, while for LCFAs branching from the FA the mean distance was 3.4 +/- 0.9 cm. We discuss the clinical importance of the artery and compare the results with the literature.