Overview
The internal pudendal artery is one of the three pudendal arteries supplying the muscles and organs of the pelvic cavity. The internal pudendal artery supplies blood the external genitalia. The other pudendal arteries include the superficial external pudendal artery and deep external pudendal artery, both arising from the medial aspect of the femoral artery.
Origin
Terminal continuation of the anterior division of the internal iliac artery.
Course
- From its origin, it courses on the lateral pelvic wall
- It exits the pelvic cavity through the greater sciatic foramen inferior to the greater sciatic foramen, inferior to the piriformis muscle, to enter the gluteal region
- It then curves around the sacrospinous ligament to enter the perineum through the lesser sciatic foramen
- It travels though the pudendal canal with the internal pudendal veins and the pudendal nerve
Branches
- Inferior rectal artery – supplies the distal rectum, anastomosing with the superior rectal artery (branch of the inferior mesenteric artery) and the middle rectal artery (branch of the anterior division of the internal iliac artery)
- Perineal artery – supplies the transversus perinei superficialis muscle
Females
- Posterior labial branch
- Artery of the bulb of vestibule
- Dorsal artery of clitoris
- Deep artery of clitoris – supplies the clitoral crura
Males
- Posterior scrotal branches
- Artery of bulb of penis
- Dorsal artery of the penis
- Deep artery of the penis
- Perforating arteries of the penis
Anatomical Variants
- Accessory internal pudendal artery (70% of males) – usually orginates from the external iliac, obturator or vesical arteries