Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Ilio-lumbar artery
Introduction
The iliolumbar artery is a branch of the posterior trunk of the internal iliac artery.
Course
Course
The iliolumbar artery turns upward behind the obturator nerve and the external iliac artery and vein, to the medial border of the psoas major, behind which it divides into a lumbar and an iliac branch.
Lumbar branch
Lumbar branch
The lumbar branch of the iliolumbar artery (ramus lumbalis) supplies the psoas major and quadratus lumborum, anastomoses with the last lumbar artery, and sends a small spinal branch through the intervertebral foramen between the last lumbar vertebra and the sacrum, into the vertebral canal to supply the cauda equina.
Iliac branch
Iliac branch
The iliac branch of the iliolumbar artery(ramus iliacus) descends to supply the iliacus muscle; some offsets, running between the muscle and the bone, anastomose with the iliac branches of the obturator artery; one of these enters an oblique canal to supply the bone, while others run along the crest of the ilium, distributing branches to the gluteal and abdominal muscles, and anastomosing in their course with the superior gluteal artery, iliac circumflex artery, and the lateral circumflex femoral artery.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]