Anatomy and Function of the Common Iliac Artery With

Labeled Diagrams
Did You Know?
There's an inverse relationship between the length of the common iliac and the internal iliac
arteries. If the common iliac artery is short, the internal iliac artery will be long, and if the internal
iliac is short, the common iliac will be longer. In case of an anatomical variation where the common
iliac arteries are absent, the external and internal iliac arteries will arise together from the distal
end of the aorta.Aorta, which is the largest artery of the human body that originates from the left
ventricle of the heart, is divided into the ascending aorta, aortic arch, and the descending aorta
(which is divided into thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta). It carries blood from the left ventricle to
the coronary arteries. The ascending aorta performs the function of supplying blood to the head,
neck, and the arms, whereas the thoracic aorta supplies blood to the organs located in the chest
cavity. The abdominal aorta supplies blood to the liver, pancreas, stomach, spleen, kidneys,
intestines, reproductive glands, etc.
At the fourth lumbar vertebra, the abdominal aorta branches into the common iliac arteries. Being a
paired structure, the common iliac artery and its branches are present on the right, as well as the
left side. The common iliac arteries could be as short as 1.2 cm or as long as 11 cm. However, the
length usually varies between 3.7 to 7.5 cm. The branches of the common iliac are involved in
supplying blood to the organs in the pelvic region.
Common Iliac Artery Location and Function
The right and the left common iliac arteries are the terminal branches of the aorta that travel down
and bifurcate into two branches on each side at the pelvic inlet, between the last lumbar vertebrae
and the sacrum. The common iliac arteries give off small branches to the psoas major, peritoneum,
extraperitoneal connective tissue, ureters, etc. Occasionally, it may give off branches to the
iliolumbar and accessory renal arteries. However, it is basically the terminal branches of the
common iliac arteries that play a major role in blood supply to the pelvis and the lower limbs. The
right common iliac artery divides into the right internal and external iliac arteries. Similarly, the left
common iliac artery divides into the left internal and external arteries. While the internal iliac artery
supplies the wall and the organs of the pelvic cavity, the external iliac artery splits into various
branches that supply blood to the legs.
Internal Iliac Artery
The internal iliac artery, which is also referred to as the hypogastric artery, is mainly responsible for
the blood supply to the pelvic region. Its anterior division is divided into the visceral branches that
supply blood to the external genitalia and the organs in the pelvic cavity. On the other hand, the
posterior division divides into the parietal branches, which are involved in supplying blood to the
pelvic wall and gluteal muscles. The anterior division is longer than the posterior division.

The branches of the anterior division include:

? Superior vesical artery (supplies vas deferens in males)

? Obliterated umbilical artery (continuation of superior vesical)

? Inferior vesical artery
The aforementioned branches supply blood to the bladder.
Its three visceral branches include:
? Middle rectal artery
? Uterine artery in females
? Vaginal artery in females (corresponds to the inferior vesical artery in males)
It has three parietal branches that include:
? Obturator artery
? Internal pudendal artery (terminal branch)
? Inferior gluteal artery (terminal branch)
The posterior division of the internal iliac artery has three parietal branches. These include:
? Iliolumbar artery
? Lateral sacral artery
? Superior gluteal artery
The iliolumbar artery passes upwards out of the pelvis in front of the lumbosacral trunk. It supplies
blood to the psoas and quadratus lumborum. It also gives off a spinal branch into the foramen
between the fifth lumbar vertebra and the sacrum. Its iliac branch supplies blood to the iliacus
muscle and the iliac bone. The lateral sacral artery gives off a superior and inferior branch. Its
inferior branch travels in front of the sacral ventral rami. Running laterally to the anterior sacral
foramina, which is located in front of the roots of the sacral plexus, the lateral sacral artery supplies
blood to the roots and piriformis in the pelvic region. The superior gluteal artery passes between the
lumbosacral trunk and the ventral ramus of S1. It supplies blood to the greater sciatic foramen,
which is located above the upper border of piriformis.
The superior and inferior vesical arteries supply blood to the bladder, whereas the middle rectal
artery supplies blood to the muscular wall of the rectum. The superior vesical artery is also
responsible for the blood supply to the adjacent ureter and vas deferens. The inferior vesical artery,
provides blood to the lower section of the bladder, ureter, vas deferens, seminal vesicle, as well as
prostate. The umbilical artery gives rise to the artery to the ductus deferens in men.
The uterine artery runs above the ureter and extends upwards at the cervix. It provides blood to the
uterine tube and joins the tubal branch of the ovarian artery. The vaginal artery, which might be a
branch of the uterine artery, provides blood to the upper part of the vagina.
A small branch of the obturator artery provides blood to the periosteum of the back of the pubis. The

obturator artery supplies blood to the obturator canal. It also joins with the pubic branch of the
inferior epigastric artery. The inferior gluteal artery exits the pelvic region through the greater
sciatic foramen and runs to the buttock. In front of the inferior gluteal artery lies the internal
pudendal artery, which exits the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen.
External Iliac
The left and the right external iliac arteries are responsible for supplying blood to the lower limbs.
Its branches include:
? Inferior epigastic artery
? Deep iliac circumflex artery
? Femoral artery
Running inferior to the inguinal ligament, the external iliac artery becomes the femoral artery,
which is responsible for supplying blood to the thighs. Arising right above the external iliac, the
inferior epigastric artery joins the superior epigastric artery. The deep iliac circumflex artery arises
from the side of the external iliac. At the anterior superior iliac spine, it joins a branch of the lateral
femoral circumflex artery. The deep iliac circumflex artery mainly supplies blood to the anterior iliac
crest bone flap.
On a concluding note, the common iliac artery and its branches are essential for the blood supply to
the pelvic region and the legs. Running along the common iliac arteries are the common iliac veins,
which lie at the back, and to the right of these arteries. The common iliac veins also bifurcate into
the external and internal iliac veins. These are also paired, which means that they are present on the
left, as well as the right. Both internal and external iliac veins join to form the common iliac veins,
which drain deoxygenated blood from the pelvic region and the lower limbs to inferior vena cava.