The ileocolic artery is the lowest branch arising from the concavity of the

superior mesenteric artery In human anatomy, the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) is an artery which arises from the anterior surface of the abdominal aorta, just inferior to the origin of the celiac trunk, and supplies blood to the intestine from the lower part of the du ...

. It passes downward and to the right behind the

peritoneum The peritoneum is the serous membrane forming the lining of the abdominal cavity or coelom in amniotes and some invertebrates, such as annelids. It covers most of the intra-abdominal (or coelomic) organs, and is composed of a layer of meso ...

toward the right

iliac fossa The iliac fossa is a large, smooth, concave surface on the internal surface of the ilium (part of the three fused bones making the hip bone). Structure The iliac fossa is bounded above by the iliac crest, and below by the arcuate line. It is b ...

, where it divides into a superior and an inferior branch; the inferior gives rise to the appendicular artery and anastomoses with the end of the

, the superior with the right colic artery. It supplies the cecum, ileum, and appendix.

Branches

The inferior branch of the ileocolic runs toward the upper border of the ileocolic junction and supplies the following branches: * '' colic branch of ileocolic artery'', which passes upward on the ascending colon - from the posterior branch of the inferior branch of the ileocolic artery * ''ileocecal'' (some sources acknowledge this division while others do not) ** '' anterior cecal artery'' and '' posterior cecal artery'', which are distributed to the front and back of the

cecum The cecum or caecum is a pouch within the peritoneum that is considered to be the beginning of the large intestine. It is typically located on the right side of the body (the same side of the body as the appendix, to which it is joined). The wo ...

** '' ileal branch of ileocolic artery'', which runs upward and to the left on the lower part of the ileum and anastomoses with the termination of the superior mesenteric artery ** an appendicular artery

Additional images

File:Gray1043.png, Superior ileocecal fossa. File:Colonic_blood_supply.svg, Colonic blood supply

References

External links

* - "Intestines and Pancreas: Branches of Superior Mesenteric Artery" * * Arteries of the abdomen {{circulatory-stub