Structure
The adductor canal (subsartorial canal or Hunter’s canal) is a musculofascial canal that it is situated on the medial side of the distal two thirds of the thigh. It commences proximally at the inferior angle of the femoral triangle, at the intersection of the adductor longus and sartorius muscles. It extends distally and ends at the musculotendinous opening in the adductor magnus muscle, the adductor hiatus (Wong et al., 2017). The canal is triangular in cross-section and contains anterior, posterior, and medial walls.
—The anterior wall is formed by the vastus medialis muscle.
—The posterior wall (or floor) is formed by the adductor longus and magnus muscles.
—The medial wall (or roof) is formed by a fibrous fascia (called the subsartorial fascia or vastoadductor membrane). This fascia joins the anterior and posterior walls of the adductor canal with each other.
Related parts of the anatomy
Anatomical Relations
A subsartorial plexus of nerves lies on the medial wall of the adductor canal, under the cover of the sartorius muscle. The plexus is formed by branches from the medial cutaneous nerve of the thigh, the saphenous nerve, and the anterior division of the obturator nerve. It innervates the overlying fascia lata and skin.
Function
The adductor canal contains the neurovascular bundle of the anterior thigh, i.e., the femoral artery, femoral vein, and saphenous nerve.
List of Clinical Correlates
—Adductor canal nerve block
—Adductor canal venous outlet syndrome
References
Wong, W. Y., Bjorn, S., Strid, J. M., Borglum, J. and Bendtsen, T. F. (2017) 'Defining the Location of the Adductor Canal Using Ultrasound', Reg Anesth Pain Med, 42(2), pp. 241-245.
