anterior superior iliac spine
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The anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) is a bony projection of the iliac bone, and an important landmark of
surface anatomy Surface anatomy (also called superficial anatomy and visual anatomy) is the study of the external features of the body of an animal.Seeley (2003) chap.1 p.2 In Bird anatomy, birds, this is termed ''topography''. Surface anatomy deals with anatomi ...
. It refers to the anterior extremity of the
iliac crest The crest of the ilium (or iliac crest) is the superior border of the wing of ilium and the superolateral margin of the greater pelvis. Structure The iliac crest stretches posteriorly from the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) to the posterio ...
of the
pelvis The pelvis (: pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of an Anatomy, anatomical Trunk (anatomy), trunk, between the human abdomen, abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also c ...
. It provides attachment for the
inguinal ligament The inguinal ligament (), also known as Poupart's ligament or groin ligament, is a band running from the pubic tubercle to the anterior superior iliac spine. It forms the base of the inguinal canal through which an indirect inguinal hernia may ...
, and the sartorius muscle. The tensor fasciae latae muscle attaches to the lateral aspect of the superior anterior iliac spine, and also about 5  cm away at the iliac tubercle.


Structure

The anterior superior iliac spine refers to the anterior extremity of the
iliac crest The crest of the ilium (or iliac crest) is the superior border of the wing of ilium and the superolateral margin of the greater pelvis. Structure The iliac crest stretches posteriorly from the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) to the posterio ...
of the
pelvis The pelvis (: pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of an Anatomy, anatomical Trunk (anatomy), trunk, between the human abdomen, abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also c ...
. This is a key surface landmark, and easily palpated. It provides attachment for the
inguinal ligament The inguinal ligament (), also known as Poupart's ligament or groin ligament, is a band running from the pubic tubercle to the anterior superior iliac spine. It forms the base of the inguinal canal through which an indirect inguinal hernia may ...
, the sartorius muscle, and the tensor fasciae latae muscle. A variety of structures lie close to the anterior superior iliac spine, including the subcostal nerve, the
femoral artery The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the thigh and leg. The femoral artery gives off the deep femoral artery and descends along the anteromedial part of the thigh in the femoral triangle. It enters ...
(which passes between it and the
pubic symphysis The pubic symphysis (: symphyses) is a secondary cartilaginous joint between the left and right superior rami of the pubis of the hip bones. It is in front of and below the urinary bladder. In males, the suspensory ligament of the penis attache ...
), and the iliohypogastric nerve.


Clinical significance

The anterior superior iliac spine provides a clue in identifying some other clinical landmarks, including
McBurney's point McBurney's point is the point over the right side of the abdomen that is one-third of the distance from the anterior superior iliac spine to the Navel, umbilicus (navel). This is near the most common location of the Vermiform appendix, appendix. ...
, Roser-Nélaton line, and true leg length. It is an important surface landmark for various surgical approaches, such as treatment of
hernia A hernia (: hernias or herniae, from Latin, meaning 'rupture') is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. The term is also used for the normal Devel ...
. The severity of symptoms of damage to the iliohypogastric nerve can show whether damage occurred above or below the anterior superior iliac spine. Bone may be harvested from the nearby iliac crest for use elsewhere in the body. As the subcostal nerve lies close to the anterior superior iliac spine, this is put at risk of damage. The iliotibial tract may be irritated where it passes over the anterior superior iliac spine in iliotibial band syndrome. The line around anterior superior iliac spine is sometimes called the panty line or "bikini line". It is considered to be a "discreet" location for concealing cosmetic surgery scars and
ports Ports collections (or ports trees, or just ports) are the sets of makefiles and Patch (Unix), patches provided by the BSD-based operating systems, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD, as a simple method of installing software or creating binary packages. T ...
.


Additional images

File:Gray235.png, Right hip bone. External surface. File:Gray236.png, Right hip bone. Internal surface. File:Gray393.png, The subcutaneous inguinal ring File:Sobo 1909 573-574.png, ASIS visible at top left, as the origin of several muscles File:McBurney's point.jpg, Location of
McBurney's point McBurney's point is the point over the right side of the abdomen that is one-third of the distance from the anterior superior iliac spine to the Navel, umbilicus (navel). This is near the most common location of the Vermiform appendix, appendix. ...
(1), which is located two thirds the distance from the umbilicus (2) to the anterior superior iliac spine (3)


See also

* Bone terminology *
Anatomical terms of location Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pr ...
*
Ilium (bone) The ilium () (: ilia) is the uppermost and largest region of the coxal bone, and appears in most vertebrates including mammals and birds, but not bony fish. All reptiles have an ilium except snakes, with the exception of some snake species ...
*
Human anatomical terms Anatomical terminology is a specialized system of terms used by anatomists, zoologists, and health professionals, such as doctors, surgeons, and pharmacists, to describe the structures and functions of the body. This terminology incorporat ...


References


External links

*
Diagram at Wayne State
Bones of the pelvis Ilium (bone) {{musculoskeletal-stub