The deep circumflex iliac artery (or deep iliac circumflex artery) is an

artery An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pu ...

in the pelvis that travels along the

iliac crest The crest of the ilium (or iliac crest) is the superior border of the wing of ilium and the superiolateral margin of the greater pelvis. Structure The iliac crest stretches posteriorly from the anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) to the poste ...

of the

pelvic bone The hip bone (os coxae, innominate bone, pelvic bone or coxal bone) is a large flat bone, constricted in the center and expanded above and below. In some vertebrates (including humans before puberty) it is composed of three parts: the ilium, ischiu ...

Course

The deep circumflex iliac artery arises from the lateral aspect of the

external iliac artery The external iliac arteries are two major arteries which bifurcate off the common iliac arteries anterior to the sacroiliac joint of the pelvis. Structure The external iliac artery arises from the bifurcation of the common iliac artery. ...

nearly opposite the origin of the

inferior epigastric artery In human anatomy, inferior epigastric artery refers to the artery that arises from the external iliac artery. It anastomoses with the superior epigastric artery. Along its course, it is accompanied by a similarly named vein, the inferior epigas ...

. It ascends obliquely and laterally, posterior to the inguinal ligament, contained in a fibrous sheath formed by the junction of the

transversalis fascia The transversalis fascia (or transverse fascia) is a thin aponeurotic membrane of the abdomen. It lies between the inner surface of the transverse abdominal muscle and the parietal peritoneum. It forms part of the general layer of fascia lining ...

and

iliac fascia The iliac fascia, or Abernethy's fascia, is a fascia in the region of the ilium of the pelvis. It has the following connections: * ''laterally'', to the whole length of the inner lip of the iliac crest. * ''medially'', to the linea terminalis of ...

. It travels to the

anterior superior iliac spine The anterior superior iliac spine ( abbreviated: ASIS) is a bony projection of the iliac bone, and an important landmark of surface anatomy. It refers to the anterior extremity of the iliac crest of the pelvis. It provides attachment for the in ...

, where it anastomoses with the ascending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery. It then pierces the

and passes medially along the inner lip of the crest of the

ilium Ilium or Ileum may refer to: Places and jurisdictions * Ilion (Asia Minor), former name of Troy * Ilium (Epirus), an ancient city in Epirus, Greece * Ilium, ancient name of Cestria (Epirus), an ancient city in Epirus, Greece * Ilium Building, a ...

to a point where it perforates the

transversus abdominis muscle The transverse abdominal muscle (TVA), also known as the transverse abdominis, transversalis muscle and transversus abdominis muscle, is a muscle layer of the anterior and lateral (front and side) abdominal wall which is deep to (layered below) th ...

. From there, it travels posteriorly between the transversus abdominis muscle and the internal oblique muscle to anastomose with the iliolumbar artery and the

superior gluteal artery The superior gluteal artery is the largest and final branch of the internal iliac artery. It is the continuation of the posterior division of that vessel. It is a short artery which runs backward between the lumbosacral trunk and the first sacral ...

. Opposite the

of the

, it gives off a large ascending branch. This branch ascends between the internal oblique muscle and the transversus abdominis muscle, supplying them, and anastomosing with the

lumbar arteries The lumbar arteries are arteries located in the lower back or lumbar region. The lumbar arteries are in parallel with the intercostals. They are usually four in number on either side, and arise from the back of the aorta, opposite the bodies o ...

and

. The deep circumflex artery serves as the primary blood supply to the anterior iliac crest bone flap.

Additional images

File:Gray577.png, The venæ cavæ and azygos veins, with their tributaries. File:Gray585.png, The veins of the right half of the male pelvis. File:Thigh arteries schema.svg, Schema of the arteries arising from the external iliac and femoral arteries.

References

External links

Photo at lumen.lumc.edu
* {{Authority control Arteries of the abdomen