US location of the adductor canal hiatus: morphologic study

The femoral artery and vein are the main vessels of the thigh and leg. These structures run through the thigh in a muscular compartment which is known as the adductor canal or the Hunter canal. The vessels leave the front of the thigh to enter the small popliteal cavity (the concavity at the back of the knee joint) by passing through a muscular hole called the adductor canal hiatus. This is a site where many problems of the vascular system occur. Seventy percent of all patients who have inadequate blood supply to their legs (suffering from intermittent claudication) have a reduction of the bore of vessels in this area. While 'local factors' have been hypothesized, an exact pathophysiologic mechanism has never been shown. A study was conducted with cadavers and volunteers. While the examination of cadavers by ultrasound has been largely unsuccessful, ultrasound studies on the normal volunteers in this study have shown that the method makes it possible to visualize the area of the adductor canal hiatus. Now that the ability of ultrasound to view the area has been proven, further studies now in progress will concentrate on the correlation between constriction of the vessels (e.g., as a result of atherosclerosis) and late vessel disease.