Popliteal fossa

The popliteal fossa (plural: fossae) is a diamond or rhomboid-shaped fat-filled space in the posterior knee. The space is extremely dynamic, allowing for its neurovascular contents to move during the extreme range of motion produced by knee flexion and extension.

Gross anatomy

Boundaries

• superolateral: medial border of biceps femoris muscle
• superomedial: lateral border of semimembranosus muscle (with the tendon of semitendinosus superficial to it)
• inferolateral: medial border of the lateral head of gastrocnemius
• inferomedial: lateral border of the medial head of gastrocnemius
• floor: (superior to inferior) popliteal surface of the femur, knee joint capsule, popliteus muscle
• roof: skin, subcutaneous tissue, fascia lata

See the mnemonic here.

Contents

• fat
• popliteal artery: deepest, gives off genicular branches
• popliteal vein: in between the artery and tibial nerve
• tibial nerve: most superficial, giving off the sural nerve which descends to pierce the roof
• common fibular (peroneal) nerve: runs along the lateral border, giving off a communicating sural nerve which descends to pierce the roof in the lateral fossa and join the sural nerve
• posterior femoral cutaneous nerve: descends and pierces the roof
• small saphenous vein: ascends and pierces the roof to enter the popliteal vein in the lower half of the fossa
• popliteal lymph nodes

At all levels, the popliteal vein is found between the popliteal artery and the tibial nerve .

Related pathology

• Baker cyst
• popliteal artery aneurysm
• cystic adventitial disease
• popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES)

Siehe auch:

• popliteal fossa anatomy (mnemonic)