The lateral sacral arteries is an artery in the pelvis that arises from the posterior division of the internal iliac artery. It later splits into two smaller branches, a superior and an inferior.

Structure

The lateral sacral artery is the second branch of the posterior division of the internal iliac artery. It is a parietal branch.

Superior

The superior, of large size, passes medialward, and, after anastomosing with branches from the middle sacral, enters the first or second anterior sacral foramen, supplies branches to the contents of the sacral canal, and, escaping by the corresponding posterior sacral foramen, is distributed to the skin and muscles on the dorsum of the sacrum, anastomosing with the superior gluteal.

Inferior

The inferior runs obliquely across the front of the

piriformis The piriformis muscle () is a flat, pyramidally-shaped muscle in the gluteal region of the lower limbs. It is one of the six muscles in the lateral rotator group. The piriformis muscle has its origin upon the front surface of the sacrum, and in ...

and the sacral nerves to the medial side of the anterior sacral foramina, descends on the front of the sacrum, and anastomoses over the

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 othe ...

with the middle sacral and opposite lateral sacral artery. In its course it gives off branches, which enter the anterior sacral foramina; these, after supplying the contents of the sacral canal, escapes by the posterior sacral foramina, and are distributed to the muscles and skin on the dorsal surface of the sacrum, anastomosing with the gluteal arteries.

Function

The lateral sacral arteries supplies oxygenated blood to the

cauda equina The cauda equina () is a bundle of spinal nerves and spinal nerve rootlets, consisting of the second through fifth lumbar nerve pairs, the first through fifth sacral nerve pairs, and the coccygeal nerve, all of which arise from the lumbar enlarg ...

Additional images

File:Gray612.png, Iliopelvic glands (lateral view).

References

External links

* - "The Female Pelvis: Branches of Internal Iliac Artery" {{Authority control Arteries of the abdomen