Quick Facts
Origin: Abdominal Aorta.
Course: Inferiorly along the sacrum and coccyx.
Branches: Right and left lateral sacral branches, rectal branches, and arteriae lumbalis imae.
Supplied Structures: Sacrum, coccyx, rectum, and anal canal.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The median sacral artery originates as a slender vessel, approximately 1 cm above the bifurcation of the abdominal aorta. Occasionally, it arises from a branch of one of the lumbar arteries or from one of the common iliac arteries.
Course
The median sacral artery descends along the lower lumbar vertebrae (L4-L5), the sacrum, and the coccyx as far as the distal tip of the coccyx.
Branches
The median sacral artery anastomosis with the lateral sacral arteries. The rectal branches are very small vessels that extend into rectal fascia and the mesorectum.
Supplied Structures
The branches of the median sacral artery supply the sacrum, the coccyx, and give a small contribution to the rectum and anal canal. In tail-bearing mammals, this artery is much larger and contributes to the caudal vascular supply.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Artery
Arteries are vessels transporting blood between heart, tissues, and other organs in order to supply them with nutrition and oxygen.
