The internal pudendal artery is one of the three

pudendal arteries The pudendal arteries are a group of arteries which supply many of the muscles and organs of the pelvic cavity. The arteries include the internal pudendal artery, the superficial external pudendal artery, and the deep external pudendal artery. ...

. It branches off the

internal iliac artery The internal iliac artery (formerly known as the hypogastric artery) is the main artery of the pelvis. Structure The internal iliac artery supplies the walls and viscera of the pelvis, the buttock, the reproductive organs, and the medial comp ...

, and provides blood to the external genitalia.

Structure

The internal pudendal

artery An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pu ...

is the terminal branch of the anterior trunk of the

. It is smaller in the

female Female ( symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Fema ...

than in the

male Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...

Path

It arises from the anterior division of internal iliac artery. It runs on the lateral pelvic wall. It exits the

pelvic cavity The pelvic cavity is a body cavity that is bounded by the bones of the pelvis. Its oblique roof is the pelvic inlet (the superior opening of the pelvis). Its lower boundary is the pelvic floor. The pelvic cavity primarily contains the reproduc ...

through the greater sciatic foramen, inferior to the piriformis muscle, to enter the gluteal region. It then curves around the sacrospinous ligament to enter 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 ...

through the lesser sciatic foramen. It travels through the pudendal canal with the

internal pudendal veins The internal pudendal veins (internal pudic veins) are a set of veins in the pelvis. They are the venae comitantes of the internal pudendal artery. Internal pudendal veins are enclosed by pudendal canal, with internal pudendal artery and pudenda ...

and 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 ...

Branches

The internal pudendal artery gives off the following branches: The deep artery of clitoris is a branch of the internal pudendal artery and supplies the

clitoral crura The clitoral crura (singular: clitoral crux) are two erectile tissue structures, which together form a V-shape. ''Crus'' is a Latin word that means "leg". Each "leg" of the ''V'' converges on the clitoral body. At each divergent point is a corp ...

. Another branch of the internal pudendal artery is the dorsal artery of clitoris. Some sources consider the urethral artery a direct branch of the internal pudendal artery, while others consider it a branch of the perineal artery. In males, the internal pudendal artery also gives rise to the perforating arteries of the penis.

Variation

Around 70% of men have an accessory internal pudendal artery. This usually does not originate from the internal iliac artery, instead originating from the

external iliac artery The external iliac arteries are two major arteries which bifurcate off the common iliac arteries anterior to the sacroiliac joint of the pelvis. Structure The external iliac artery arises from the bifurcation of the common iliac artery. Th ...

, the obturator artery, or the vesical arteries.

Function

The internal pudendal artery supplies blood to the external genitalia.

Clinical significance

In women, the internal pudendal artery may be damaged during

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births glob ...

. This may cause a

haematoma A hematoma, also spelled haematoma, or blood suffusion is a localized bleeding outside of blood vessels, due to either disease or trauma including injury or surgery and may involve blood continuing to seep from broken capillaries. A hematoma is b ...

, which usually resolves without treatment, but may form an infected

abscess An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pressed. The area of redness often extends ...

Additional images

File:Gray236.png, Right hip bone. Internal surface. File:Gray829.png, Dissection of side wall of pelvis showing sacral and pudendal plexuses. File:Gray543.png, The deeper branches of the internal pudendal artery. File:Gray1158.png, Diagram of the arteries of the

penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males d ...

. File:Gray588.png, The penis in transverse section, showing the bloodvessels. File:Slide8khi.JPG, Internal pudental artery.Deep dissection. Lateral view.

References

External links

* - "Inferior view of female perineum, branches of the internal pudendal artery." * - "Inferior view of female perineum, branches of the internal pudendal artery." * - "Branches of internal pudendal artery in the male perineum." * - "Sagittal view of the internal iliac artery and its branches in the female pelvis. " * - "Sagittal view of the internal iliac artery and its branches in the male pelvis. " * * * () * *
Diagram at MSU
{{DEFAULTSORT:Internal Pudendal Artery Arteries of the abdomen