Lesser trochanter

Bone: Lesser trochanter
Left hip-joint, opened by removing the floor of the acetabulum from within the pelvis.
Upper extremity of right femur viewed from behind and above.
Latin	trochanter minor
Gray's	subject #59 245

The lesser trochanter (small trochanter) of the femur is a conical eminence, which varies in size in different subjects

Anatomy

It projects from the lower and back part of the base of the femur neck.

From its apex three well-marked borders extend:

• two of these are above
  • a medial continuous with the lower border of the femur neck
  • a lateral with the intertrochanteric crest
• the inferior border is continuous with the middle division of the linea aspera

The summit of the trochanter is rough, and gives insertion to the tendon of the Psoas major.

Clinical significance

It can be involved in an avulsion fracture.^[1]

Additional images

Right femur. Posterior surface.

Right hip-joint from the front.

Capsule of hip-joint (distended). Posterior aspect.

See also

• Third trochanter

References

External links

• SUNY Figs 13:01-11
• lljoints at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (hipjointanterior, hipjointposterior)
• Lesser+trochanter at eMedicine Dictionary

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated.

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