Introduction: An in-depth knowledge of human anatomy has been and continues to be essential in the academic curriculum of the health sciences. Knowledge of anatomy is important for the correct choice of diagnostic and treatment procedures and allows for successful treatment outcomes, efficient disease control and reduced risk of complications. The femoral triangle is a topographical region on the anterior aspect of the upper thigh in which the important vessels and nerves of the lower limb are located. Due to the accessibility of the vessels, the femoral triangle serves as an entry point for some diagnostic and therapeutic intravascular procedures and interventions. In addition, some common pathological conditions occur in the femoral triangle, in particular femoral hernia. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe the borders of the femoral triangle and the structures that lie within it, to describe the pathological conditions that can affect the structures of the femoral triangle, and to describe the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in the femoral triangle. Methods: We used a descriptive method by reviewing and analysing the foreign and domestic literature on the chosen area of research. We included original peer-reviewed and empirical articles, and the literature was searched in databases PubMed, Mendeley, CINAHL Ultimate, EBSCO, COBISS/COBIB, BNI, ScienceDirect and Digitalna knjižnica Slovenije. Results: The borders of femoral triangle are represented by the inguinal ligament, the long adductor and the sartorius muscle. The pectineus and iliopsoas muscles lie at the bottom of the triangle, and the triangle is bounded in front by the fascia lata and the subcutaneous tissue and skin. Inside the triangle are the femoral artery and vein with their branches, the femoral nerve, and the deep lymphatic vessels and deep inguinal lymph nodes. In the proximal part, the femoral and lymphatic vessels are enclosed by the femoral vagina, a fibrous vascular sheath within which three longitudinal compartments exist separated by a connective tissue. Into the medial compartment, named femoral canal, abdominal contents can protrude and form a femoral hernia, one of pathological conditions of the femoral triangle. The femoral artery can be affected by peripheral arterial disease, while the femoral vein is a common place of deep venous thrombosis occurrence. The femoral artery and vein are commonly used as an entry point for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, such as coronary and peripheral angiography and angioplasty, and intravascular ultrasound. Femoral nerve blockade plays a clinically important role to provide post-operative analgesia and regional anaesthesia. Discussion and conclusion: The anatomy of the femoral triangle is complex, as are the common pathologies that occur in this region. In addition, interventions in the femoral triangle are varied and require highly skilled practitioners. Therefore, a detailed knowledge of the anatomical structure of the femoral triangle and its clinical role is of paramount importance for the correct identification of the disease and thus the successful management of each patient.
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