Atlas of Human Anatomy in Cross Section: Section 7. Lower Limb

Plate 7.8

Ronald A. Bergman, Ph.D., Adel K. Afifi, M.D., Jean J. Jew, M.D., and Paul C. Reimann, B.S.
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This section passes through the upper margin of the patella (23). The quadriceps tendon (24) is a thick band above the patella, and the articular cavity (suprapatellar bursa) (22) is below. The section is immediately above the condyles, but the intercondylar fossa is beginning to form anterior to the popliteal artery and vein (11). In the depression, see the middle genicular artery and vein (16). The middle genicular artery arises from the ventral surface of the popliteal artery (11) and, along with an articular branch of the obturator nerve (15), passes through the oblique popliteal ligament directly into the knee joint, where it supplies the cruciate ligaments and the patellar synovial and alar folds. It may anastomose with the intrinsic branches of the other genicular arteries.

The gastrocnemius muscle makes its first appearance in this section. The medial head (7) arises from the back of the medial condyle of the femur above the articular surface, from an area on the back of the femur superolateral to the medial condyle, and from the femoral margin of the capsule of the knee Joint. The lateral head (18) arises from a facet on the proximal portion of the posterolateral surface of the lateral condyle of the femur and from an area extending medially and proximally above the lateral condyle.

The plantaris muscle (19) is also seen in this section for the first time. It arises from the distal part of the lateral line of bifurcation of the linea aspera in close association with the lateral head of gastrocnemius.

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