Common femoral artery

The common femoral artery (CFA) forms as a continuation of the external iliac artery below the level of the inguinal ligament. 

Although the common femoral artery is not officially termed in the Terminologia Anatomica 1 or 2, this term is widely used in daily practice. In the TA, the common femoral artery and superficial artery are simply termed as “femoral artery”

The common femoral artery  is found just medial to the midpoint of the inguinal ligament (it may be identified by the virtual line between anterior superior iliac spine and pubic symphysis). The average common femoral artery is approximately 4 cm in length (length and diameter are quite variable depending  with height, weight, sex and ethnicity) and lies just anterior to the femoral head.

Branches arising from the common femoral artery are :

• Superficial epigastric artery

• Superficial circumflex artery

• Deep external pudendal artery

• Superficial external pudendal artery

Distal to these smaller branches, the common femoral artery bifurcates into the deep femoral (or profunda femoris) and superficial femoral artery