The internal pudendal artery is one of the three

pudendal arteries The pudendal arteries are a group of arteries which supply many of the muscles and organs of the pelvic cavity. The arteries include the internal pudendal artery, the superficial external pudendal artery, and the deep external pudendal artery. ...

. It branches off 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 compa ...

, and provides blood to the

external genitalia 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 ...

Structure

The internal pudendal

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 pu ...

is the terminal branch of the anterior trunk of the

. It is smaller in the

female Female ( symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

than in the

male Male (symbol: ♂) is the sex of an organism that produces the gamete (sex cell) known as sperm, which fuses with the larger female gamete, or ovum, in the process of fertilization. A male organism cannot reproduce sexually without access to ...

Path

It arises from the anterior division of internal iliac artery. It runs on the lateral pelvic wall. It exits the

pelvic cavity The pelvic cavity is a body cavity that is bounded by the bones of the pelvis. Its oblique roof is the pelvic inlet (the superior opening of the pelvis). Its lower boundary is the pelvic floor. The pelvic cavity primarily contains the reproduc ...

through the

greater sciatic foramen The greater sciatic foramen is an opening (foramen) in the posterior human pelvis. It is formed by the sacrotuberous and sacrospinous ligaments. The piriformis muscle passes through the foramen and occupies most of its volume. The greater sci ...

, inferior to the

piriformis muscle 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 ins ...

, to enter the

gluteal region The gluteal muscles, often called glutes are a group of three muscles which make up the gluteal region commonly known as the buttocks: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. The three muscles originate from the ilium and sa ...

. It then curves around the

sacrospinous ligament The sacrospinous ligament (small or anterior sacrosciatic ligament) is a thin, triangular ligament in the human pelvis. The base of the ligament is attached to the outer edge of the sacrum and coccyx, and the tip of the ligament attaches to the s ...

to enter the

perineum The perineum in humans is the space between the anus and scrotum in the male, or between the anus and the vulva in the female. The perineum is the region of the body between the pubic symphysis (pubic arch) and the coccyx (tail bone), includi ...

through the

lesser sciatic foramen The lesser sciatic foramen is an opening (foramen) between the pelvis and the back of the thigh. The foramen is formed by the sacrotuberous ligament which runs between the sacrum and the ischial tuberosity and the sacrospinous ligament which runs ...

. It travels through the

pudendal canal The pudendal canal (also called Alcock's canal) is an anatomical structure in the pelvis through which the internal pudendal artery, internal pudendal veins, and the pudendal nerve pass. Structure The pudendal canal is formed by the fascia of the ...

with the

internal pudendal veins The internal pudendal veins (internal pudic veins) are a set of veins in the pelvis. They are the venae comitantes of the internal pudendal artery. Internal pudendal veins are enclosed by pudendal canal, with internal pudendal artery and pudenda ...

and the

pudendal nerve The pudendal nerve is the main nerve of the perineum. It carries sensation from the external genitalia of both sexes and the skin around the anus and perineum, as well as the motor supply to various pelvic muscles, including the male or fem ...

Branches

The internal pudendal artery gives off the following branches: The deep artery of clitoris is a branch of the internal pudendal artery and supplies the

clitoral crura The clitoral crura (singular: clitoral crux) are two erectile tissue structures, which together form a V-shape. ''Crus'' is a Latin word that means "leg". Each "leg" of the ''V'' converges on the clitoral body. At each divergent point is a corp ...

. Another branch of the internal pudendal artery is the dorsal artery of clitoris. Some sources consider the

urethral artery The urethral artery arises from the internal pudendal artery a branch of the internal iliac artery. The internal pudendal artery has numerous branches including the artery of the bulb of the penis immediately before the urethral and the dorsal ar ...

a direct branch of the internal pudendal artery, while others consider it a branch of the

perineal artery The perineal artery (superficial perineal artery) arises from the internal pudendal artery, and turns upward, crossing either over or under the superficial transverse perineal muscle, and runs forward, parallel to the pubic arch, in the interspa ...

. In males, the internal pudendal artery also gives rise to the perforating arteries of the penis.

Variation

Around 70% of men have an accessory internal pudendal artery. This usually does not originate from the internal iliac artery, instead originating from the

external iliac artery The external iliac arteries are two major arteries which bifurcate off the common iliac arteries anterior to the sacroiliac joint of the pelvis. Structure The external iliac artery arises from the bifurcation of the common iliac artery. Th ...

, the

obturator artery The obturator artery is a branch of the internal iliac artery that passes antero-inferiorly (forwards and downwards) on the lateral wall of the pelvis, to the upper part of the obturator foramen, and, escaping from the pelvic cavity through the ob ...

, or the

vesical arteries Vesical arteries are variable in number. They supply the bladder and terminal ureter. The two most prominent are the superior vesical artery and the inferior vesical artery. The superior vesical artery comes off of the internal iliac artery and some ...

Function

The internal pudendal artery supplies blood to the

Clinical significance

In women, the internal pudendal artery may be damaged during

childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies exits the internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section. In 2019, there were about 140.11 million births glob ...

. This may cause a haematoma, which usually resolves without treatment, but may form an infected abscess.

Additional images

File:Gray236.png, Right hip bone. Internal surface. File:Gray829.png, Dissection of side wall of pelvis showing sacral and pudendal plexuses. File:Gray543.png, The deeper branches of the internal pudendal artery. File:Gray1158.png, Diagram of the arteries of the

penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males d ...

. File:Gray588.png, The penis in transverse section, showing the bloodvessels. File:Slide8khi.JPG, Internal pudental artery.Deep dissection. Lateral view.

References

External links

* - "Inferior view of female perineum, branches of the internal pudendal artery." * - "Inferior view of female perineum, branches of the internal pudendal artery." * - "Branches of internal pudendal artery in the male perineum." * - "Sagittal view of the internal iliac artery and its branches in the female pelvis. " * - "Sagittal view of the internal iliac artery and its branches in the male pelvis. " * * * () * *
Diagram at MSU
{{DEFAULTSORT:Internal Pudendal Artery Arteries of the abdomen