The femoral vein, which passes fairly close to the outer surface of the upper thighs, arises from smaller branches to return blood to the heart from the muscles and superficial tissues in the thigh. It also receives blood from the skin of the groin and lower abdominal wall. Important branches of the femoral vein include: (1) superficial circumflex iliac vein from the lymph nodes and the skin of the groin; (2) superficial epigastric vein from the skin of the abdominal wall; (3) superficial and deep external pudenal veins from the skin of the lower abdomen and external genitalia; (4) profunda femoris vein, which is the largest branch of the femoral vein and receives blood from the hip joint and various muscles in the thigh; and (5) deep genicular vein from the farthest ends of the thigh muscles and to connecting nerve networks around the knee joint.