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
Arteries:
popliteal artery: deepest, gives off paired superior, middle and inferior genicular arteries 4
Veins:
popliteal vein: in between the artery and tibial nerve
short saphenous vein: ascends and pierces the roof to enter the popliteal vein in the lower half of the fossa before joining the popliteal vein
Nerves:
tibial nerve: most superficial, giving off the medial sural cutaneous nerve which descends to pierce the roof, before joining the lateral cutaneous branch to form the sural nerve4
common fibular (peroneal) nerve: runs along the lateral border, giving off the lateral cutaneous branch of the sural nerve which descends to pierce the roof in the lateral fossa gives off a communicating branch which unites with the medial branch (from the tibial nerve) to form the sural nerve4
posterior femoral cutaneous nerve: descends and pierces the roof
articular branch of obturator nerve 4
Other
fat
popliteal lymph nodes
a variable number of bursae 4
At all levels, the popliteal vein is found between the popliteal artery and the tibial nerve 2.
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