Internal pudendal artery

Artery: Internal pudendal artery

Left gluteal region, showing surface markings for arteries and sciatic nerve.

The superficial branches of the internal pudendal artery.
Latin	arteria pudenda interna
Gray's	subject #155 617
Supplies	external genitalia, perineum
Source	internal iliac artery
Vein	Internal pudendal veins
Dorlands/Elsevier	a_61/12155618

The internal pudendal artery is an artery that branches off the internal iliac artery, providing blood to the external genitalia.

The internal pudendal artery is the terminal branch of the anterior trunk of the internal iliac artery. It is smaller in the female than in the male.

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Path

It exits the pelvic cavity through the greater sciatic foramen to enter the gluteal region.

It then curves around the sacrospinous ligament to enter the perineum through the lesser sciatic foramen.

It travels through the pudendal canal with the internal pudendal veins and the pudendal nerve.

Branches

The internal pudendal artery gives off the following branches:

In females	In males	Description
Inferior rectal artery	Inferior rectal artery	to anal canal
Perineal artery	Perineal artery	supplies transversus perinei superficialis muscle
Posterior labial branches	Posterior scrotal branches	-
Artery of bulb of vestibule	Artery of bulb of penis	supplies bulbourethral gland
Dorsal artery of clitoris	Dorsal artery of penis	-
Deep artery of clitoris	Deep artery of penis	to corpus cavernosum penis

Some sources consider the urethral artery a direct branch of the internal pudendal artery^[1], while others consider it a branch of the perineal artery.^[2]

In males, the internal pudendal artery also gives rise to the perforating arteries of the penis.

Additional images

References

^ a_61/12156483 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
^ Urethral+artery at eMedicine Dictionary

v • d • e

List of arteries of torso - abdomen

AA:
Anterior

celiac	left gastric: esophageal branches splenic: pancreatic branches (greater, dorsal) – short gastric – left gastro-omental common hepatic: proper hepatic (cystic), right gastric, gastroduodenal (right gastro-omental, superior pancreaticoduodenal, supraduodenal)
SMA	inferior pancreaticoduodenal – intestinal (jejunal, ileal, arcades, vasa recta) – ileocolic (colic, anterior cecal, posterior cecal, ileal branch, appendicular) – right colic – middle colic
IMA	left colic – sigmoid – superior rectal – marginal

AA:
Posterior

visceral: middle suprarenal – renal (inferior suprarenal, ureteral) – gonadal (testicular ♂/ovarian ♀)
parietal: inferior phrenic (superior suprarenal) – lumbar – median sacral
terminal: common iliac (IIA, EIA)

IIA:
Anterior

umbilical (superior vesical, to ductus deferens) – middle rectal – obturator (anterior branch, posterior branch) - inferior gluteal (accompanying of ischiadic nerve, crucial anastomosis)

uterine ♀ (helicine, vaginal of uterine, ovarian of uterine, tubal of uterine) - vaginal ♀/inferior vesical ♂

internal pudendal: inferior rectal - perineal (urethral) - posterior scrotal ♂/labial ♀ - bulb of penis ♂/vestibule ♀ - deep artery of the penis ♂ (helicine)/clitoris ♀ - dorsal of the penis ♂/clitoris ♀

IIA:
Posterior

iliolumbar (lumbar, iliac) – lateral sacral – superior gluteal

EIA

inferior epigastric (cremasteric, round ligament) – deep circumflex iliac – femoral

Category: Arteries