Superficial epigastric artery

Large blood vessel

The superficial epigastric artery (not to be confused with the superior epigastric artery) arises from the front of the femoral artery about 1 cm below the inguinal ligament, and, passing through the femoral sheath and the fascia cribrosa, turns upward in front of the inguinal ligament, and ascends between the two layers of the superficial fascia of the abdominal wall nearly as far as the umbilicus.

It distributes branches to the superficial subinguinal lymph glands, the superficial fascia, and the integument; it anastomoses with branches of the inferior epigastric, and with its fellow of the opposite side.

Additional images

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  The subcutaneous inguinal ring
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  The femoral artery
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  The great saphenous vein and its tributaries at the fossa ovalis
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  The great saphenous vein and its tributaries
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  The femoral vein and its tributaries
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  Anterior abdominal wall. Intermediate dissection. Anterior view.

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 629 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)