The artery of the round ligament of the uterus, also known as Sampson's artery, is a branch of the

inferior epigastric artery In human anatomy, inferior epigastric artery refers to the artery that arises from the external iliac artery. It anastomoses with the superior epigastric artery. Along its course, it is accompanied by a similarly named vein, the inferior epig ...

. It runs under, and supplies, the

round ligament of the uterus The round ligament of the uterus is a ligament that connects the uterus to the labia majora. Structure The round ligament of the uterus originates at the uterine horns, in the parametrium. The round ligament exits the pelvis via the deep inguina ...

. It constitutes an anastomosis of the

uterine artery The uterine artery is an artery that supplies blood to the uterus in females. Structure The uterine artery usually arises from the anterior division of the internal iliac artery. It travels to the uterus, crossing the ureter anteriorly, to the ute ...

and

ovarian artery The ovarian artery is an artery that supplies oxygenated blood to the ovary in females. It arises from the abdominal aorta below the renal artery. It can be found within the suspensory ligament of the ovary, anterior to the ovarian vein and uret ...

. It was originally named after

John A. Sampson John Albertson Sampson (August 17, 1873–December 23, 1946) was a gynecologist who studied endometriosis. Sampson was born near Troy, New York and graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1899. After completing his training in gynecology, he sett ...

(1873–1946), an American gynecologist who studied endometriosis.

Clinical significance

It is considered an insignificant artery that is dissected during

hysterectomies Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus. It may also involve removal of the cervix, ovaries (oophorectomy), Fallopian tubes ( salpingectomy), and other surrounding structures. Usually performed by a gynecologist, a hysterectomy may be ...

. It can be the source of

hemoperitoneum Hemoperitoneum (also haemoperitoneum, sometimes also hematoperitoneum) is the presence of blood in the peritoneal cavity. The blood accumulates in the space between the inner lining of the abdominal wall and the internal abdominal organs. Hemope ...

, but only rarely does it pose a hemodynamic risk to the patient if severed and it is easily cauterized or sutured to prevent bleeding.

References

Arteries of the abdomen {{cardiovascular-stub