A 28-year-old woman sustains a fracture of the femoral neck. The surgeon warns that avascular necrosis of the femoral head is likely if the main retinacular supply is disrupted. Which artery provides the primary blood supply to the femoral head in adults?

• A First perforating artery
• B Lateral circumflex femoral artery
• C Artery of ligamentum teres (obturator branch)
• D Medial circumflex femoral artery ✓

Explanation

In adults, most of the femoral head is supplied by retinacular branches, chiefly from the medial circumflex femoral artery, which passes posteriorly close to the femoral neck and is vulnerable in intracapsular fractures. The artery within the ligamentum teres, a branch of the obturator artery, contributes little after childhood. The lateral circumflex femoral mainly supplies the anterolateral trochanteric region, and the perforating arteries supply the posterior thigh compartment.

Reference: Gray's Anatomy for Students, 4th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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