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
The hip bone (os coxae, innominate bone, pelvic bone or coxal bone) is a large flat bone, constricted in the center and expanded above and below. In some vertebrates (including humans before puberty) it is composed of three parts: the ilium, isch ...
).
Structure
The iliac fossa is bounded above by the
iliac crest
The crest of the ilium (or iliac crest) is the superior border of the wing of ilium and the superiolateral margin of the greater pelvis.
Structure
The iliac crest stretches posteriorly from the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) to the poster ...
, and below by the
arcuate line. It is bordered in front and behind by the anterior and posterior borders of the
ilium.
The iliac fossa gives origin to the
iliacus muscle. The
obturator nerve
The obturator nerve in human anatomy arises from the ventral divisions of the second, third, and fourth lumbar nerves in the lumbar plexus; the branch from the third is the largest, while that from the second is often very small.
Structure
The o ...
passes around the iliac fossa.
It is perforated at its inner part by a
nutrient canal
All bones possess larger or smaller foramina (openings) for the entrance of blood-vessels; these are known as the nutrient foramina, and are particularly large in the shafts of the larger long bones, where they lead into a nutrient canal, which ex ...
. Below it there is a smooth, rounded border, the
arcuate line, which runs anterior, inferior, and medial.
When the "left" or "right" adjective is used (e.g "right iliac fossa"), the iliac fossa usually means one of the
inguinal regions of the
nine regions 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 to ...
.
Additional images
File:Anterior Hip Muscles 2.PNG, The iliacus and nearby muscles
File:Slide5AA.JPG, Iliac fossa
File:Slide6A.JPG, Iliac fossa
File:Slide2DAD.JPG, Hip joint. Lateral view. Iliac fossa
File:Slide1gt.JPG, Lumbar and sacral plexus. Deep dissection.Anterior view
See also
*
Right iliac fossa
Reference
External links
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{{Authority control
Bones of the pelvis
Ilium (bone)