The vasculature within the pelvis can be split into the arteries of the pelvis and venous drainage of the pelvis.
The arteries of the pelvis provide oxygenated blood to the organs and tissues of the pelvis and also transmit blood that supplies the lower limbs. The common iliac artery bifurcates at the level of the L4 vertebra. Its two terminal branches are the external iliac artery, which supplies the lower limbs, and the internal iliac artery. The internal iliac artery branches into an anterior trunk and a posterior trunk, which then divide further into smaller and smaller arteries.
The venous drainage of the pelvis follows similar routes to the arteries, but in reverse. These veins return deoxygenated blood from the pelvis back to the right atrium of the heart. The internal iliac vein collects blood from many smaller pelvic veins, and drains into the common iliac vein, along with the external iliac vein.
In this section, learn more about the arteries of the pelvis and the venous drainage of the pelvis.
