Internal pudendal artery | |
---|---|
Details | |
Source | internal iliac artery |
Branches | Inferior rectal artery, and others |
Vein | Internal pudendal veins |
Supplies | external genitalia, perineum |
Identifiers | |
Latin | arteria pudenda interna |
TA98 | A12.2.15.038 |
TA2 | 4341 |
FMA | 18835 |
Anatomical terminology |
The internal pudendal artery is one of the three pudendal arteries. It branches off the internal iliac artery, and provides blood to the external genitalia.
The internal pudendal artery is the terminal branch of the anterior trunk of the internal iliac artery. [1] It is smaller in the female than in the male.
It arises from the anterior division of internal iliac artery. It runs on the lateral pelvic wall. It exits the pelvic cavity through the greater sciatic foramen, inferior to the piriformis muscle, to enter the gluteal region.
It then curves around the sacrospinous ligament to enter the perineum through the lesser sciatic foramen.
It travels through the pudendal canal with the internal pudendal veins and the pudendal nerve.
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. Another branch of the internal pudendal artery is the dorsal artery of clitoris.
Some sources consider the urethral artery a direct branch of the internal pudendal artery, [2] while others consider it a branch of the perineal artery.[ citation needed ]
In males, the internal pudendal artery also gives rise to the perforating arteries of the penis. [1]
Around 70% of men have an accessory internal pudendal artery. [1] This usually does not originate from the internal iliac artery, instead originating from the external iliac artery, the obturator artery, or the vesical arteries. [1]
The internal pudendal artery supplies blood to the external genitalia.
In women, the internal pudendal artery may be damaged during childbirth. [3] This may cause a haematoma, which usually resolves without treatment, but may form an infected abscess. [3]
The pudendal nerve is the main nerve of the perineum. It is a mixed nerve and also conveys sympathetic autonomic fibers. 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 female external urethral sphincter and the external anal sphincter.
The ischiocavernosus muscle is a muscle just below the surface of the perineum, present in both men and women.
The bulbospongiosus muscles are one of the superficial muscles of the perineum. They have a slightly different origin, insertion and function in males and females. In males, these muscles cover the bulb of the penis, while in females, they cover the vestibular bulbs.
The external iliac arteries are two major arteries which bifurcate off the common iliac arteries anterior to the sacroiliac joint of the pelvis.
The internal iliac artery is the main artery of the pelvis.
In human anatomy, the inferior epigastric artery is an artery that arises from the external iliac artery. It is accompanied by the inferior epigastric vein; inferiorly, these two inferior epigastric vessels together travel within the lateral umbilical fold The inferior epigastric artery then traverses the arcuate line of rectus sheath to enter the rectus sheath, then anastomoses with the superior epigastric artery within the rectus sheath.
The sacrotuberous ligament is situated at the lower and back part of the pelvis. It is flat, and triangular in form; narrower in the middle than at the ends.
The sacrospinous 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 spine of the ischium, a bony protuberance on the human pelvis. Its fibres are intermingled with the sacrotuberous ligament.
The iliolumbar artery is the first branch of the posterior trunk of the internal iliac artery.
The superior gluteal artery is the terminal branch of the posterior division of the internal iliac artery. It exits the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen before splitting into a superficial branch and a deep branch.
The inferior gluteal artery is a terminal branch of the anterior trunk of the internal iliac artery. It exits the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen. It is distributed chiefly to the buttock and the back of the thigh.
The inferior rectal artery is an artery that supplies blood to the lower third of the anal canal below the pectinate line.
The perineal nerve is a nerve of the pelvis. It arises from the pudendal nerve in the pudendal canal. It gives superficial branches to the skin, and a deep branch to muscles. It supplies the skin and muscles of the perineum. Its latency is tested with electrodes.
The internal pudendal 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 pudendal nerve.
The superior rectal artery is an artery that descends into the pelvis to supply blood to the rectum.
The inferior rectal nerves usually branch from the pudendal nerve but occasionally arises directly from the sacral plexus; they cross the ischiorectal fossa along with the inferior rectal artery and veins, toward the anal canal and the lower end of the rectum, and is distributed to the sphincter ani externus and to the integument (skin) around the anus.
The dorsal nerve of the penis is the deepest of three divisions of the pudendal nerve; it accompanies the internal pudendal artery along the ramus of the ischium; it then runs forward along the margin of the inferior ramus of the pubis, between the superior and inferior layers of the fascia of the urogenital diaphragm.
The superficial perineal pouch is a compartment of the perineum.
The deep perineal pouch is the anatomic space enclosed in part by the perineum and located superior to the perineal membrane.
The dorsal nerve of the clitoris is a nerve in females that branches off the pudendal nerve to innervate the clitoris. The nerve is important for female sexual pleasure, and it may play a role in clitoral erections.