The Inferior rectal nerves (inferior anal nerves, inferior hemorrhoidal nerve) usually branch from the

pudendal nerve The pudendal nerve is the main nerve of the perineum. It carries sensation from the external genitalia of both sexes and the skin around the anus and perineum, as well as the motor supply to various pelvic muscles, including the male or fem ...

but occasionally arises directly from the

sacral plexus In human anatomy, the sacral plexus is a nerve plexus which provides motor and sensory nerves for the posterior thigh, most of the lower leg and foot, and part of the pelvis. It is part of the lumbosacral plexus and emerges from the lumbar vertebr ...

; they cross the

ischiorectal fossa The ischioanal fossa (formerly called ischiorectal fossa) is the fat-filled wedge-shaped space located lateral to the anal canal and inferior to the pelvic diaphragm. It is somewhat prismatic in shape, with its base directed to the surface of the p ...

along with the

inferior rectal artery The inferior rectal artery (inferior hemorrhoidal artery) is an artery that supplies blood to the lower third of the anal canal below the pectinate line. Structure The inferior rectal artery arises from the internal pudendal artery as it passes ab ...

and

veins Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated b ...

, toward the

anal canal The anal canal is the part that connects the rectum to the anus, located below the level of the pelvic diaphragm. It is located within the anal triangle of the perineum, between the right and left ischioanal fossa. As the final functional segment ...

and the lower end of the

rectum The rectum is the final straight portion of the large intestine in humans and some other mammals, and the Gastrointestinal tract, gut in others. The adult human rectum is about long, and begins at the rectosigmoid junction (the end of the s ...

, and is distributed to the

Sphincter ani externus The external anal sphincter (or sphincter ani externus ) is a flat plane of skeletal muscle fibers, elliptical in shape and intimately adherent to the skin surrounding the margin of the anus. Anatomy The external anal sphincter measures about 8 ...

(external anal sphincter, EAS) and to the integument (skin) around the anus. Branches of this nerve communicate with the

perineal branch The perineal branches of the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve are distributed to the skin at the upper and medial side of the thigh. One long perineal branch, inferior pudendal (long scrotal nerve), curves forward below and in front of the ischi ...

of the

posterior femoral cutaneous The posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh (also called the posterior femoral cutaneous nerve) is a sensory nerve in the thigh. It supplies the skin of the posterior surface of the thigh, leg, buttock, and also the perineum. Structure The pos ...

and with the

posterior scrotal nerves The posterior scrotal branches (in men) or posterior labial branches (in women) are two in number, medial and lateral. They are branches of the perineal nerve, which is itself a branch of the pudendal nerve. The pudendal nerve arises from spinal r ...

at the forepart of the

perineum The perineum in humans is the space between the anus and scrotum in the male, or between the anus and the vulva in the female. The perineum is the region of the body between the pubic symphysis (pubic arch) and the coccyx (tail bone), includi ...

Supplies

Cutaneous innervation below the

pectinate line The pectinate line (dentate line) is a line which divides the upper two-thirds and lower third of the anal canal. Developmentally, this line represents the hindgut-proctodeum A proctodeum is the back ectodermal part of an alimentary canal. It ...

and

external anal sphincter The external anal sphincter (or sphincter ani externus ) is a flat plane of skeletal muscle fibers, elliptical in shape and intimately adherent to the skin surrounding the margin of the anus. Anatomy The external anal sphincter measures about 8 ...

Additional images

File:Gray405.png, The perineum. The integument and superficial layer of superficial fascia reflected. File:Gray837.png, Sacral plexus of the right side. (Hemorrhoidal branch of pudic labeled at bottom right.)

References

External links

Details
at

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

* - "The Female Perineum: Contents of the Pudendal Canal" * - "Inferior view of female perineum, branches of the internal pudendal artery." * () * * {{Authority control Nerves of the lower limb and lower torso

Supplies

See also

Additional images

References

External links