• Source: Internal pudendal artery

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.




Structure


The internal pudendal artery is the terminal branch of the anterior trunk of the internal iliac artery. It is smaller in the female than in the male.




= Path

=
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.




= Branches

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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, while others consider it a branch of the perineal artery.
In males, the internal pudendal artery also gives rise to the perforating arteries of the penis.




= Variation

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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 obturator artery, or the vesical arteries.




Function


The internal pudendal artery supplies blood to the external genitalia.




Clinical significance


In women, the internal pudendal artery may be damaged during childbirth. This may cause a haematoma, which usually resolves without treatment, but may form an infected abscess.




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See also


Pudendal nerve
Superficial external pudendal artery
Deep external pudendal artery




References






External links


Anatomy figure: 41:04-00 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Inferior view of female perineum, branches of the internal pudendal artery."
Anatomy figure: 41:04-06 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Inferior view of female perineum, branches of the internal pudendal artery."
Anatomy figure: 42:03-01 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Branches of internal pudendal artery in the male perineum."
Anatomy figure: 43:07-14 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Sagittal view of the internal iliac artery and its branches in the female pelvis. "
Anatomy figure: 44:06-00 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Sagittal view of the internal iliac artery and its branches in the male pelvis. "
Anatomy image:9086 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center
MedicalMnemonics.com: 2503
pelvis at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (pelvicarteries)
figures/chapter_32/32-2.HTM: Basic Human Anatomy at Dartmouth Medical School
figures/chapter_32/32-3.HTM: Basic Human Anatomy at Dartmouth Medical School
Diagram at MSU Archived 2019-01-22 at the Wayback Machine

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Internal pudendal artery
• Pudendal arteries
• Internal iliac artery
• Superficial external pudendal artery
• Internal pudendal veins
• Deep external pudendal artery
• Dorsal artery of the penis
• Pudendal nerve
• Internal pudendal
• Pudendal canal