Many radiological procedures involve catheterization of the femoral artery or the femoral vein to obtain access to the contralateral lower limb, the ipsilateral lower limb, the vessels of the thorax and abdomen, and the cerebral vessels.
Cardiologists also use the femoral artery to place catheters in vessels around the arch of the aorta and into the coronary arteries to perform coronary angiography and angioplasty.