Femur Flashcards

Study the femur's head, neck, shaft, trochanters, condyles, muscle attachments, articulations, blood supply, and clinical anatomy.

Card 1 of 30Question

What is the femur?

The longest and strongest bone of the human body, forming the skeleton of the thigh.

In This Section

1. What is the femur?

The longest and strongest bone of the human body, forming the skeleton of the thigh.

2. What are the three major anatomical regions of the femur?

The proximal end, shaft, and distal end.

3. Which pelvic structure articulates with the head of the femur?

The acetabulum of the hip bone.

4. What is the fovea capitis of the femur?

A small depression on the femoral head for attachment of the ligament of the head of the femur.

5. What is the femoral neck?

The narrowed region connecting the femoral head to the shaft.

6. What is the approximate normal femoral neck-shaft angle in adults?

Approximately 125 degrees, with normal anatomical variation.

7. What is the greater trochanter?

A large bony projection on the lateral aspect of the proximal femur.

8. Which muscles insert onto the greater trochanter?

Gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, piriformis, obturator internus, and the gemelli.

9. What is the lesser trochanter?

A posteromedial bony projection at the junction of the femoral neck and shaft.

10. Which muscle inserts onto the lesser trochanter?

The iliopsoas muscle.

11. What is the intertrochanteric line?

An anterior bony ridge connecting the greater and lesser trochanters.

12. What is the intertrochanteric crest?

A posterior bony ridge connecting the greater and lesser trochanters.

13. Which muscle inserts into the trochanteric fossa?

The obturator externus muscle.

14. What is the linea aspera?

A prominent longitudinal ridge on the posterior surface of the femoral shaft.

15. What are the two principal lips of the linea aspera?

The medial and lateral lips.

16. Which muscle inserts onto the gluteal tuberosity?

The gluteus maximus muscle.

17. Which muscles originate from the femoral shaft along the linea aspera?

The vastus medialis and vastus lateralis muscles.

18. Which muscle originates primarily from the anterior and lateral surfaces of the femoral shaft?

The vastus intermedius muscle.

19. What is the pectineal line of the femur?

A ridge extending from the lesser trochanter toward the linea aspera that receives the pectineus insertion.

20. What is the popliteal surface of the femur?

A triangular posterior area of the distal femur bounded by the medial and lateral supracondylar lines.

21. Which bones articulate with the distal femoral condyles?

The medial and lateral condyles of the tibia.

22. What is the patellar surface of the femur?

The anterior distal femoral articular surface that articulates with the patella.

23. What is the intercondylar fossa?

A deep posterior notch separating the medial and lateral femoral condyles.

24. Where does the anterior cruciate ligament attach to the femur?

The medial surface of the lateral femoral condyle within the intercondylar fossa.

25. Where does the posterior cruciate ligament attach to the femur?

The lateral surface of the medial femoral condyle within the intercondylar fossa.

26. Which ligament attaches to the lateral femoral epicondyle?

The fibular collateral ligament.

27. What is the adductor tubercle?

A prominence superior to the medial epicondyle that receives the tendon of the hamstring part of adductor magnus.

28. Which artery provides most of the blood supply to the adult femoral head?

The medial circumflex femoral artery through its retinacular branches.

29. Which artery commonly supplies the medullary cavity of the femoral shaft?

A nutrient artery arising from a perforating branch of the deep femoral artery.

30. Why are displaced intracapsular femoral neck fractures associated with avascular necrosis?

They can disrupt the retinacular arteries supplying the femoral head.