A 75-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital after falling in her bathroom. Radiographic examination reveals an extracapsular fracture of the femoral neck. Which artery is most likely at risk for injury?

The medial circumflex femoral artery is responsible for supplying blood to the head and neck of the femur by a number of branches that pass under the edge of the ischiofemoral ligament. This artery is most likely at risk for injury in an extracapsular fracture of the femoral neck. The inferior gluteal artery arises from the internal iliac and enters the gluteal region through the greater sciatic foramen, below the piriformis. The first perforating artery sends an ascending branch that anastomoses with the inferior gluteal artery in the buttock. The obturator artery arises from the internal iliac artery and passes through the obturator foramen. It commonly supplies the artery within the ligament of the head of the femur. The superior gluteal artery arises from the internal iliac artery and enters through the greater sciatic foramen above the piriformis.