The middle rectal artery is an

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 pul ...

in the pelvis that supplies blood to 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 ...

Structure

The middle rectal artery usually arises from 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 compart ...

. It is distributed to the

above 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 ...

. It

anastomoses An anastomosis (, plural anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection may be normal ...

with the inferior vesical artery, superior rectal artery, and

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 ...

. In males, the middle rectal artery may give off branches to the prostate and the seminal vesicles. In females, the middle rectal artery gives off branches to the

vagina In mammals, the vagina is the elastic, muscular part of the female genital tract. In humans, it extends from the vestibule to the cervix. The outer vaginal opening is normally partly covered by a thin layer of mucosal tissue called the hymen ...

Function

The middle rectal artery supplies the

above the

Additional images

File:Gray538.png, Sigmoid colon and rectum, showing distribution of branches of inferior mesenteric artery and their anastomoses. File:Middle rectal artery.jpg, Middle rectal artery

References

External links

* () Arteries of the abdomen Rectum {{circulatory-stub

Structure

Function

Additional images

See also

References

External links