The adductor canal is located on the medial thigh and contains the femoral artery, femoral vein, and saphenous nerve. John Hunter first used the region to compress blood vessels during lower limb operations. The canal has boundaries formed by the adductor longus, vastus medialis, and sartorius muscles. Structures passing through the roof of the canal include the nerve to vastus medialis, saphenous nerve and artery, and genicular branches. Injuries penetrating the adductor canal can damage the femoral artery and nerves, resulting in loss of blood flow and sensation in the leg and foot.

1. ADDUCTOR CANAL

2. Anterior superior iliac spine
Inguinal ligament
Pubic tubercle
Adductor longus
Adductor canal
Sartorius
DEFINATION
SITUATION
EXTENT AND FUNCTION

3. HISTORY OF THE ADDUCTOR CANAL
Surgeon John Hunter utilized this region as the
site for compression of femoral vessels- by
applying the tourniquet against the bony
resistance of linea aspera to arrest the bleeding
in the operation of
- aneurysm of popliteal vessels or during the
amputation of lower limb below the knee, hence
it is called as HUNTERS CANAL.

4. Adductor magnus
Adductor longus
Saphaneous nerve
Femoral artery
Femoral vein
N.to vastus medialis
Vastus medialis
Fascial roof
Sartorius
Sub-sartorial nerve plexus
BOUNDARIES

5. Nerve to vastus medialis
Descending genicular artery
Saphaneous artery
Saphaneous nerve
Sub sartorial plexus
Sartorius
Obturator nerve
Med.fem.cut.nerve
CONTENTS AND STRUCTURES PIERCING THE ROOF
OF ADDUCTOR CANAL

6. Femoral vein
Femoral artery
Saphaneous nerve
Saphaneous artery
Nerve to vastus medialis
CONTENTS AND COURSE OF CONTENTS IN THE CANAL
Descending genicular artery

7. APPLIED ANATOMY OF ADDUCTOR CANAL
• Penetrating injuries at the canal will
damage the femoral artery, sectioning of
the both the divisions of obturator nerve
and saphaneous branch of femoral nerve.
Manifestations seen are:-
• Loss of blood supply below the knee
region.
• Loss of cutaneous sensation on medial
side of thigh.
• Loss of cutaneous sensation on medial
border of the foot upto great toe.
• Loss of proprioception of knee joint due
to sectioning of genicular branch of
obturator nerve.

8. ANEURYSM OF POPLITEALARTERY
• In the aneurysm of
popliteal artery, the
surgeons ligated the
femoral artery in
subsartorial canal.
• The fibrous roof is
incised to enter the canal.

9. OBTURATOR NERVE

10. L1
L2
L3
L4
Obturator nerve
Femoral nerve
Genitofemoral nerve
Ilioinguinal nerve
Iliohypogastric nerve
Accessory obturator nerve
Branch to Lumbosacral trunk
Lat.cut.nerve.of.thigh
VENTRAL DIVISIONS
DORSAL DIVISIONS
ANTERIOR PRIMARY RAMI
FORMATION-

11. Psoas major
Sacrum
Hip joint Obturator nerve
Obturator externus
For hip joint
Pectineus
Gracilis
Adductor longus
Adductor brevis
Ant.division
Post. division
Adductor magnus
To subsartorial nerve plexus
Genicular branch
L1
L2
L3
L4
L5
COURSE-

12. Accessory obturator nerve
L3
L4
Obturator
internus
Superior ramus
of pubis
Pectineus
Hip joint
Anterior division of
obturator nerve
Obturator
externus
Communicating branch
ACCESSORY OBTURATOR NERVE-

13. APPLIED ANATOMY-
• 1) Referred pain- In the diseases of hip joint, referred pain is there
along the medial side of thigh or to knee jt, due to common nerve
supply of obturator nerve.
• 2) Surgical division of obturator nerve is essential to relieve the
spasm of the adductor muscles in spastic paralysis.
• 3) In inflammation of ovary, localized peritonitis irritates the
obturator nerve. Pain is referred in such condition to the hip, knee or
inner side of thigh.
• 4) In case of spastic paraplegia obturator nerve is cut in order to
ensure better perineal care.
• 5) Damage to obturator nerve leads to paralysis of adductor muscles
of the medial compartment of thigh and sensory loss on the medial side
of the skin of the thigh.