Relationship between the lateral circumflex femoral vein and the deep femoral artery: Cadaveric study and classification

Background The lateral circumflex femoral vein is ligated and transected to access the proximal portion of the deep femoral artery during femoral tripod revascularization. However, few studies have been conducted on the lateral circumflex femoral vein, and data are lacking on the relationship between the lateral circumflex femoral vein and the deep femoral artery. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the lateral circumflex femoral vein and the deep femoral artery in order to propose a classification. Materials and methods This was an anatomical, cross-sectional, and descriptive study. It spanned a five-year period from February 2021 to January 2026. Results The most frequent relationship was a single lateral circumflex femoral vein passing anterior to the deep femoral artery, with a prevalence of 51.1%. The single lateral circumflex femoral vein passed posterior to the deep femoral artery in 11.7% of cases. Two lateral circumflex femoral veins, both passing either anterior or posterior to the deep femoral artery, were observed in 20% and 5% of cases, respectively. In 3.9% of cases, one of the two veins passed anterior to the deep femoral artery and the other posterior. The presence of three lateral circumflex femoral veins, all three passing anterior to the deep femoral artery, was observed in 1.7% of cases. The deep femoral artery passed between the three lateral circumflex femoral veins in 5.5% of cases. Conclusion The lateral circumflex femoral vein exhibits variations in its number and its relationship to the deep femoral artery. Understanding these variations is important for addressing the deep femoral artery in femoral tripod reconstruction techniques.