Overview
The Femoral Vein is a vein that runs from the knee to the pelvis. It is the largest vein in the pelvic region.
Course
The femoral vein starts at
the popliteal space; before that it is the popliteal vein. Fed by the great saphenous vein and the
profunda femoris vein, the femoral vein travels up the thigh
parallel to the femoral artery inside of the femoral sheath, before
draining into the external Iliac Vein. This happens after the inginuinal or Poupart's ligament (where the upper thigh meets the torso).
Etymology
The word femoral means "of the Femur", applied to this vein due to its proximity to the Femur, the longest bone in the body. Femur is the Latin term for thigh.
Palpation
In order to palpate the femoral vein, one would find the pulse at
the midinguinal point, and move laterally. There you would find the femoral vein.
Sources:
Crafts, Roger C. A Textbook of Human Anatomy. 2nd Ed.
Edwards and Gaughran. Concise Anatomy. 3rd Ed.
Gray's Anatomy C. 1977
http://student.bmj.com/search/pdf/03/09/sbmj318.pdf (Caution: Contains visceral images)