Median sacral artery

The median sacral artery (or middle sacral artery) is a small artery that arises posterior to the abdominal aorta and superior to its bifurcation.

Median sacral artery
The abdominal aorta and its branches. (Middle sacral visible at center bottom.)
The arteries of the pelvis. (Middle sacral labeled at upper right.)
Details
Sourceabdominal aorta
VeinMedian sacral vein
Suppliescoccyx, lumbar vertebrae, sacrum
Identifiers
Latinarteria sacralis mediana
TA98A12.2.12.008
TA24298
FMA14757
Anatomical terminology

Structure

The median sacral artery arises from the abdominal aorta at the level of the bottom quarter of the third lumbar vertebra.[1] It descends in the middle line in front of the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae, the sacrum and coccyx, ending in the glomus coccygeum (coccygeal gland).

Minute branches pass from it, 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, sending offshoots into the anterior sacral foramina.

It is crossed by the left common iliac vein and accompanied by a pair of venae comitantes; these unite to form a single vessel that opens into the left common iliac vein.

Development

The median sacral artery is morphologically the direct continuation of the abdominal aorta.[2] It is vestigial in humans, but large in animals with tails, such as the crocodile.

See also

Additional images
  • The iliac veins.
    The iliac veins.
  • Scheme of the anastomosis of the veins of the rectum.
    Scheme of the anastomosis of the veins of the rectum.
  • The relations of the viscera and large vessels of the abdomen.
    The relations of the viscera and large vessels of the abdomen.
  • Median sacral artery
    Median sacral artery
  • Pelvic contents: male. Superior view. Deep dissection.
    Pelvic contents: male. Superior view. Deep dissection.

References

Public domain This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 613 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

  1. Emanuele, B. (September 1968). "[The median sacral artery in the human adult]". Archivio per le Scienze Mediche. 125 (9): 427–432. ISSN 0004-0312. PMID 17340798.
  2. Kostov, Stoyan; Slavchev, Stanislav; Dzhenkov, Deyan; Stoyanov, George; Dimitrov, Nikolay; Yordanov, Angel (2021-01-01). "Median sacral artery anterior to the left common iliac vein: From anatomy to clinical applications. A report of two cases". Translational Research in Anatomy. 22: 100101. doi:10.1016/j.tria.2020.100101. ISSN 2214-854X.
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