Femoral neck

The femoral neck (also femur neck or neck of the femur) is a flattened pyramidal process of bone, connecting the femoral head with the femoral shaft, and forming with the latter a wide angle opening medialward.

The neck is flattened from before backward, contracted in the middle, and broader laterally than medially.

The vertical diameter of the lateral half is increased by the obliquity of the lower edge, which slopes downward to join the body at the level of the lesser trochanter, so that it measures one-third more than the antero-posterior diameter.

The medial half is smaller and of a more circular shape.

The anterior surface of the neck is perforated by numerous vascular foramina.

Along the upper part of the line of junction of the anterior surface with the head is a shallow groove, best marked in elderly subjects; this groove lodges the orbicular fibers of the capsule of the hip joint.

The posterior surface is smooth, and is broader and more concave than the anterior: the posterior part of the capsule of the hip-joint is attached to it about 1 cm above the intertrochanteric crest.

The superior border is short and thick, and ends laterally at the greater trochanter; its surface is perforated by large foramina.