Median sacral artery
| Artery: Median sacral artery | |
|---|---|
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| The abdominal aorta and its branches. (Middle sacral visible at center bottom.) | |
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| The arteries of the pelvis. (Middle sacral labeled at upper right.) | |
| Latin | arteria sacralis mediana |
| Gray's | p.613 |
| Supplies | coccyx, lumbar vertebrae, sacrum |
| Source | abdominal aorta |
| Vein | Median sacral vein |
The median sacral artery (or middle sacral artery) is a small vessel, which arises posterior to the abdominal aorta, superior to its bifurcation.
It descends in the middle line in front of the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebræ, the sacrum and coccyx, and ends in the glomus coccygeum (coccygeal gland).
From it minute branches pass to the posterior surface of the rectum.
On the last lumbar vertebra it anastomoses with the lumbar branch of the iliolumbar artery; in front of the sacrum it anastomoses with the lateral sacral arteries, and sends offsets into the anterior sacral foramina.
It is crossed by the left common iliac vein and is accompanied by a pair of venæ comitantes; these unite to form a single vessel which opens into the left common iliac vein.
See also
Additional images
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The iliac veins.
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Scheme of the anastomosis of the veins of the rectum.
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The relations of the viscera and large vessels of the abdomen.
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Median sacral artery
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Pelvic contents: male. Superior view. Deep dissection.
External links
- 40:11-0200 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Posterior Abdominal Wall: Branches of the Abdominal Aorta"
- pelvis at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (pelvicarteries)
This article incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy.
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