Introduction
The Trigonum femorale, also known as Scarpa Triangle or Thigh Triangle, describes a triangular area on the inside of the thigh with the tip pointing down towards the knee. It is a visible depression on the inner side of the thigh, which lies directly below the groin. The Trigonum femorale is an important anatomical region. The large leg vessels (femoral artery, femoral vein) and the nerves supplying the legs (femoral nerve and saphenous nerve) run through the femoral triangle.
Anatomy
The trigonum femorale lies below the groin and is a visible depression on the inner side of the thigh. The roof of the trigonum femorale forms the inguinal ligament, the floor is formed by the iliopsoas muscle and the pectineus muscle. The sartorius muscle forms the outer boundary.
The inner boundary of the trigonum femorale is formed by the musculus adductor longus. In the trigonum femorale, vital vascular-nervous pathways run. It contains the large leg artery (Arteria femoralis) with its branches, the large leg vein (Vena femoralis), as well as several nerves (Nervus femoralis, Nervus saphenus), which innervate the leg muscles motorically and the skin of the leg sensitively. It also contains several large lymph node stations. The Trigonum femorale is also called the “Scarpa Triangle”, after Antonio Scarpa, an important Italian anatomist who lived in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Trigonum lateral
The region femoris anterior is distinct from the medial trigonum femorale. It is located laterally (i.e. outwardly, laterally) from the trigonum femorale and includes the front of the thigh. It is formed by the musculus quadriceps femoris and is delimited inwardly by the musculus sartorius from the trigonum femorale.
Lymph nodes
At the upper base of the trigonum femorale are the inguinal lymph nodes, also called inguinal lymph nodes. They are further subdivided into the superficial and the deep inguinal lymph nodes. The deep inguinal lymph nodes also include the Rosenmüller lymph node, which is located in the Lacuna vasorum. The lymph nodes in the groin receive their lymph fluid mainly from the legs, the external genitals, the buttocks and the abdominal wall below the navel. Inflammations or tumors in the above-mentioned drainage areas can cause thickening and palpable enlargement of the lymph nodes, which should be clarified by a physician.
