Posterior

Thigh Region
Sakina
sakinahusen@yahoo.com
Anatomy and Histology Department

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 Posterior Thigh Region: Muscles

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Posterior Thigh Region:
Arteries
• Vasa: Aa. Perforantes
(branch of deep
artery of thigh)
• 1st: above adductor
brevis muscle
• 2nd: anterior to
adductor brevis
muscle
• 3rd: below adductor
brevis muscle

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Posterior Thigh Region:
Nerves (1)

• Sciatic nerve (L4-S3)

• Biggest nerve
• Consists of :
Common peroneal et
tibialis nerves
• Enter gluteal region
through foramen
infrapiriformis 
posterior thigh
region
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 Posterior Thigh Region:
Nerves (2)
• Posterior cutaneous
nerve of thigh: medial to
sciatic nerve 
descends deep to
gluteus maximus 
enters posterior thigh 
innervate skin at gluteal
fold, posterior thigh &
leg
• Separate from sciatic
nerve by biceps femoris
long head
Netter’s Atlas of Anatomy
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 REGIO GENU
• Surface anatomy:
– Posterior from lateral condyle of femur 
insertion of biceps femoris
– Common peroneal nerve  anterior from fibular
head
– Flexion on articulatio genu: ligamentum
collaterale fibulare, fossa poplitea.
– M. gastrocnemius (inferior from fossa poplitea)

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 Netter’s Atlas of Anatomy
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 REGIO GENU
• Vasa (anastomosis):
– Aa. genu superiores
– Aa genu inferiores A. poplitea

– A. genu decendens  A. femoralis;

– R. descendens a. circumflexa femoris lateralis
– Aa. recurrentes tibiales anterior et posterior

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 REGIO GENU
• Innervation:
– N. femoralis
– N. peroneus communis
– N. tibialis
– N. obturatorius

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 POPLITEAL FOSSA
• Superolateral: M. biceps femoris
• Superomedial: Mm. semitendinosus et
semimembranosus
• Inferior: M. plantaris et m. gastrocnemius
• Roof: fascia poplitea
• Floor : planum popliteum, ligamentum popliteum
obliquum, segmen posterior capsula articularis genu,
m. popliteus and fascia m. popliteus.
• Contents: nn. peroneus communis et tibialis, vasa
poplitea, n. cutaneus femoris posterior, r. articularis n.
obturatorius, end of small saphenous vein, lnn.
poplitea and adipose tissue.
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 A. Poplitea
• Continuation of a. femoralis (after passing hiatus
adductorius (tendineus))
• Divided into aa. tibiales anterior et posterior
• The deepest structure
• Other branches: a. suralis(m. gastrocnemius); aa.
genu superiores medialis et lateralis(superior
from condyli femores); a. genu media (to
anterior); aa. genu inferiores medialis et
lateralis(deep to capita m. gastrocnemius)
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 Netter’s Atlas of Anatomy
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 V. Poplitea
• Union of vv. tibiales anterior et posterior
• Small saphenous vein drains to it
• After hiatus adductorius  v. femoralis.

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 N. Tibialis
• Medial terminal branch of sciatic nerve
• Superficial from vasa poplitea Medial to
vasa poplitea
• Other branch of n. tibialis :n. cutaneus surae
medialis (+ r. communicans peroneus n.
peroneus communis forming n. suralis)

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Netter’s Atlas of Anatomy
 Common peroneal nerve
• Lateral terminal branch of sciatic nerve
• Follow medial margin of m. biceps femoris
• superficial to fibular head
• Two terminal branch: deep et superficial
peroneal nerve
• Other branches: n. cutaneus surae lateralis, r.
communicans peroneus.

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 Netter’s Atlas of Anatomy
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 Lnn. Poplitei
• Deep to fascia poplitea
• Afferent: leg and foot
• Efferent : Deep inguinal nodes

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Netter’s Atlas of Anatomy
 ??
sakinahusen@yahoo.com

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