Deep circumflex iliac artery

Artery: Deep circumflex iliac artery
The iliac veins.
Latin	arteria circumflexa ilium profunda
Gray's	subject #156 623
Source	external iliac artery
Vein	Deep circumflex iliac vein

The deep circumflex iliac artery (or deep iliac circumflex artery) is an artery in the pelvis that travels along the iliac crest of the pelvic bone.

Course

The deep circumflex iliac artery arises from the lateral aspect of the external iliac artery nearly opposite the origin of the inferior epigastric artery.

It ascends obliquely lateralward behind the inguinal ligament, contained in a fibrous sheath formed by the junction of the transversalis fascia and iliac fascia, to the anterior superior iliac spine, where it anastomoses with the ascending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery.

It then pierces the transversalis fascia and passes along the inner lip of the crest of the ilium to about its middle, where it perforates the transversus abdominis muscle, and runs backward between that muscle and the internal oblique, to anastomose with the iliolumbar artery and the superior gluteal artery.

Opposite the anterior superior spine of the ilium it gives off a large ascending branch, which ascends between the internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles, supplying them, and anastomosing with the lumbar arteries and inferior epigastric artery.

This artery serves as the primary blood supply to the anterior iliac crest bone flap.

Additional images

• 

  The venæ cavæ and azygos veins, with their tributaries.

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  The veins of the right half of the male pelvis.

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  Schema of the arteries arising from the external iliac and femoral arteries.

External links

• Photo at lumen.lumc.edu
• SUNY Anatomy Image 7241

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.