Penetrating injury to the thigh - importance of the sartorius muscle in protecting the superficial femoral artery
Presentation
Fell from a tree. Large wound in the right medial thigh with severe pain. Bleeding ? vascular injury
Patient Data
Long, round, laminated (non-metallic) foreign body consistent with a tree branch in the subcutaneous fat of the upper medial thigh (entering from below along the line of gas and terminating in the upper thigh). No obvious vascular disruption with muscle separating the foreign body and neurovascular bundle.
Case Discussion
The Sartorius muscle is the longest muscle in the body. It sits anterior to the superficial femoral artery in the thigh as it passes along the adductor canal. In this case the muscle belly of Sartorius has prevented the jagged end of the tree branch from penetrating the artery by maintaining the plane of penetration in the subcutaneous tissues.