The pelvic cavity is a

body cavity A body cavity is any space or compartment, or potential space, in an animal body. Cavities accommodate organs and other structures; cavities as potential spaces contain fluid. The two largest human body cavities are the ventral body cavity, and ...

that is bounded by the bones of the pelvis. Its oblique roof is the

pelvic inlet The pelvic inlet or superior aperture of the pelvis is a planar surface which defines the boundary between the pelvic cavity and the abdominal cavity (or, according to some authors, between two parts of the pelvic cavity, called lesser pelvis an ...

(the superior opening of the pelvis). Its lower boundary is the pelvic floor. The pelvic cavity primarily contains the

reproductive organs A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...

urinary bladder The urinary bladder, or simply bladder, is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine enters ...

, distal

ureter The ureters are tubes made of smooth muscle that propel urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder. In a human adult, the ureters are usually long and around in diameter. The ureter is lined by urothelial cells, a type of transitional ep ...

s, proximal

urethra The urethra (from Greek οὐρήθρα – ''ourḗthrā'') is a tube that connects the urinary bladder to the urinary meatus for the removal of urine from the body of both females and males. In human females and other primates, the urethra con ...

, terminal sigmoid colon, rectum, and

anal Anal may refer to: Related to the anus *Related to the anus of animals: ** Anal fin, in fish anatomy ** Anal vein, in insect anatomy ** Anal scale, in reptile anatomy *Related to the human anus: ** Anal sex, a type of sexual activity involving ...

canal. In females, the uterus, Fallopian tubes,

ovaries The ovary is an organ in the female reproductive system that produces an ovum. When released, this travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where it may become fertilized by a sperm. There is an ovary () found on each side of the body. T ...

and upper vagina occupy the area between the other viscera. The rectum is located at the back of the pelvis, in the curve of the sacrum and

coccyx The coccyx ( : coccyges or coccyxes), commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the vertebral column in all apes, and analogous structures in certain other mammals such as horses. In tailless primates (e.g. humans and other ...

; the bladder is in front, behind the

pubic symphysis The pubic symphysis is a secondary cartilaginous joint between the left and right superior rami of the pubis of the hip bones. It is in front of and below the urinary bladder. In males, the suspensory ligament of the penis attaches to the pubic ...

. The pelvic cavity also contains major arteries, veins, muscles, and nerves. These structures coexist in a crowded space, and disorders of one pelvic component may impact upon another; for example, constipation may overload the rectum and compress the urinary bladder, or childbirth might damage the pudendal nerves and later lead to anal weakness.

Structure

The pelvis has an anteroinferior, a posterior, and two lateral pelvic walls; and an inferior pelvic wall, also called the pelvic floor. The parietal peritoneum is attached here and to the

abdominal wall In anatomy, the abdominal wall represents the boundaries of the abdominal cavity. The abdominal wall is split into the anterolateral and posterior walls. There is a common set of layers covering and forming all the walls: the deepest being the v ...

Lesser pelvis

The lesser pelvis (or "true pelvis") is the space enclosed by the pelvic girdle and below the

pelvic brim The pelvic brim is the edge of the pelvic inlet. It is an approximately Mickey Mouse head-shaped line passing through the prominence of the sacrum, the arcuate and pectineal lines, and the upper margin of the pubic symphysis. Structure The pel ...

: between the

and the pelvic floor. This cavity is a short, curved canal, deeper on its posterior than on its anterior wall. Some sources consider this region to be the entirety of the pelvic cavity. Other sources define the pelvic cavity as the larger space including the greater pelvis, just above the pelvic inlet. The lesser pelvis is bounded in front and below by the superior rami of the symphysis pubis; above and behind, by the sacrum and coccyx; and laterally, by a broad, smooth, quadrangular area of bone, corresponding to the inner surfaces of the body and superior ramus of the ischium, and the part of the ilium below the arcuate line. The lesser pelvis contains the

pelvic colon The sigmoid colon (or pelvic colon) is the part of the large intestine that is closest to the rectum and anus. It forms a loop that averages about in length. The loop is typically shaped like a Greek letter sigma (ς) or Latin letter S (thus ''s ...

, rectum,

bladder The urinary bladder, or simply bladder, is a hollow organ in humans and other vertebrates that stores urine from the kidneys before disposal by urination. In humans the bladder is a distensible organ that sits on the pelvic floor. Urine en ...

, and some of the

sex organ A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...

s. The rectum is at the back, in the curve of the sacrum and

; the bladder is in front, behind the

. In females, the uterus and vagina occupy the interval between these viscera. The

pelvic splanchnic nerves Pelvic splanchnic nerves or nervi erigentes are splanchnic nerves that arise from sacral spinal nerves S2, S3, S4 to provide parasympathetic innervation to the organs of the pelvic cavity. Structure The pelvic splanchnic nerves arise from th ...

arising at S2–S4 are in the lesser pelvis.

Greater pelvis

The greater pelvis (or false pelvis) is the space enclosed by the pelvic girdle above and in front of the

. It is bounded on either side by the ilium. In the front, it is incomplete, presenting a wide interval between the anterior borders of the ilia, which is filled by the muscles and fascia of the

anterior abdominal wall In anatomy, the abdominal wall represents the boundaries of the abdominal cavity. The abdominal wall is split into the anterolateral and posterior walls. There is a common set of layers covering and forming all the walls: the deepest being the vi ...

; behind is a deep notch on either side between the ilium and the

base of the sacrum The sacrum (plural: ''sacra'' or ''sacrums''), in human anatomy, is a large, triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the fusing of the sacral vertebrae (S1S5) between ages 18 and 30. The sacrum situates at the upper, back part ...

that is filled by the thoracolumbar fascia and associated muscles. It is generally considered part of the

abdominal cavity The abdominal cavity is a large body cavity in humans and many other animals that contains many organs. It is a part of the abdominopelvic cavity. It is located below the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity. Its dome-shaped roof is the t ...

(which is why it is sometimes called the false pelvis).Drake et al. (2009) Grays Anatomy for Students, 2nd Edition, ch. 5 ''Pelvis and perineum'' – ''general description'', p. 406 Some sources consider this region part of the pelvic cavity, while others reframe the classification by calling the combination the

abdominopelvic cavity The abdominopelvic cavity is a body cavity that consists of the abdominal cavity and the pelvic cavity. The upper portion is the abdominal cavity, and it contains the stomach, liver, pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, kidneys, small intestine, and mos ...

. The greater pelvis supports the intestines (specifically, the

ileum The ileum () is the final section of the small intestine in most higher vertebrates, including mammals, reptiles, and birds. In fish, the divisions of the small intestine are not as clear and the terms posterior intestine or distal intestine m ...

and sigmoid colon), and transmits part of their weight to the anterior wall of the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

. The

femoral nerve The femoral nerve is a nerve in the thigh that supplies skin on the upper thigh and inner leg, and the muscles that extend the knee. Structure The femoral nerve is the major nerve supplying the anterior compartment of the thigh. It is the largest ...

from L2–L4 is in the greater pelvis, but not in the lesser pelvis.

Ligaments

Arteries

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 ...

* median sacral artery *

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 ...

Nerves

* sacral plexus *

splanchnic nerves The splanchnic nerves are paired visceral nerves (nerves that contribute to the innervation of the internal organs), carrying fibers of the autonomic nervous system ( visceral efferent fibers) as well as sensory fibers from the organs ( visceral a ...

( greater pelvis)

Measurements

The pelvis can be classified into four main types by measuring the pelvic diameters and conjugates at the pelvic inlet and outlet and as oblique diameters. Anatomical dissection of the pelvic cavity

Anatomical dissection of the pelvic cavity

Additional images

File:Gray319.png, Joints of the pelvis. Anterior view. File:Gray539.png, The arteries of the pelvis. File:Gray829.png, Dissection of side wall of pelvis showing sacral and pudendal plexuses. File:Gray837.png, Sacral plexus of the right side. File:Male pelvic cavity.jpg, Male pelvic cavity File:Female pelvic cavity.jpg, Female pelvic cavity File:Scheme body cavities-en.svg, Lateral projection of the human body cavities, with the line separating the abdominal and pelvic cavities shown.

References

External links

Overview at buffalo.edu

Diagram at southwest.tn.edu

* – "The Male Pelvis: Articulated bones of male pelvis" * {{Authority control Pelvis