Anat Cell Biol.  2012 Dec;45(4):285-287. 10.5115/acb.2012.45.4.285.

The inferior epigastric artery arising from the internal iliac artery via a common trunk with the obturator artery

• Won HS
• Won HJ
• Oh CS
• Han SH
• Chung IH
• Kim DH

• KMID: 2133915
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5115/acb.2012.45.4.285

Abstract

We report a rare case of a left inferior epigastric artery arising from the internal iliac artery via a common trunk with the obturator artery in an 84-year-old female cadaver. A common trunk for the inferior epigastric and obturator arteries firstly originated from the left internal iliac artery, at 3.0 mm below the bifurcation of the left common iliac artery. This trunk ran straight between the left external iliac artery and left external iliac vein, and was finally divided into the left inferior epigastric and left obturator arteries just superior to the inguinal ligament.

Keyword

Inferior epigastric artery; Internal iliac artery; Obturator artery

MeSH Terms

Aged, 80 and over
Arteries
Cadaver
Epigastric Arteries
Female
Humans
Iliac Artery
Iliac Vein
Ligaments

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 The inferior epigastric artery (IEA) arises as a common trunk (star) with the obturator artery (OA) from the internal iliac artery (IIA). This trunk runs straight between the external iliac artery (EIA) and vein (EIV), and then bifurcates as the inferior epigastric and obturator arteries, just superior to the inguinal ligament. CIA, common iliac artery; DCIA, deep circumflex iliac artery; FN, femoral nerve; IEV, inferior epigastric vein; LFCN, lateral femoral cutaneous nerve; ON, obturator nerve; OV, obturator vein; RAb, rectus abdominis muscle.

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