The lateral superior genicular artery is located in the leg. It passes over the top of the femur’s lateral condyle (a bony projection at the base of the femur) and underneath the biceps femoris’ tendon. The biceps femoris is the muscle located on the back side of the thigh.
When the lateral superior genicular artery branches off, it separates into a deep branch and a superficial branch. The deep branch supplies blood to the knee joint and the lower portion of the femur. The superficial branch of the lateral superior genicular artery supplies blood to the vastus lateralis, which is the largest portion of the quadriceps femoris. The superficial branch also connects with the lateral femoral circumflex (which moves in a downward direction) and the lateral inferior genicular arteries.