Internal iliac artery

Internal iliac
Front of abdomen, showing surface markings for arteries and inguinal canal.
Details
Source	Common iliac artery
Branches	iliolumbar artery, lateral sacral artery, superior gluteal artery, inferior gluteal artery, middle rectal artery, uterine artery, obturator artery, inferior vesical artery, superior vesical artery, obliterated umbilical artery, internal pudendal artery
Vein	Internal iliac vein
Identifiers
Latin	arteria iliaca interna
MeSH	A07.231.114.444
TA	A12.2.15.001
FMA	18808
Anatomical terminology []

The internal iliac artery (formerly known as the hypogastric artery) is the main artery of the pelvis.

The internal iliac artery supplies the walls and viscera of the pelvis, the , the reproductive organs, and the medial compartment of the thigh. The vesicular branches of the internal iliac arteries supply the bladder

It is a short, thick vessel, smaller than the external iliac artery, and about 3 to 4 cm in length.

It arises at the bifurcation of the common iliac artery, opposite the lumbosacral articulation, and, passing downward to the upper margin of the greater sciatic foramen, divides into two large trunks, an anterior and a posterior.

The following are relations of the artery at various points: it is posterior to the ureter, anterior to the internal iliac vein, the lumbosacral trunk, and the piriformis muscle; near its origin, it is medial to the external iliac vein, which lies between it and the psoas major muscle; it is above the obturator nerve.

The exact arrangement of branches of the internal iliac artery is variable. Generally, the artery divides into an anterior division and a posterior division, with the posterior division giving rise to the superior gluteal, iliolumbar, and lateral sacral arteries. The rest usually arise from the anterior division.

The following are the branches of internal iliac artery. Because it is variable, a listed artery may not be a direct branch, but instead might arise off a direct branch.

In the fetus, the internal iliac artery is twice as large as the external iliac, and is the direct continuation of the common iliac.