366 



DISSECTION OF THE ABDOMEN. 



Variations 

 in length. 



External 

 iliac leads to 

 lower limb ; 



extent and 

 direction ; 



surface 

 marking. 



relations 

 with parts 

 around, 



with other 



with nerve, 

 and veins. 



Two named 

 branches : 



unnamed 

 offsets. 



Origin of 

 branches 

 varies : 



occasional 

 branches. 



Veins of the 

 abdomen, 

 except vena 

 portee. 



Anatomy of 

 external 

 iliac vein : 



vessels ; and its companion vein is situate to its inner side. It lies 

 close to the psoas muscle throughout. 



The length of the common iliac artery ranges from less than half an inch to 

 four inches and a half ; but in the majority of instances it varies between one 

 inch and a half and three inches (R. Quain). 



The EXTERNAL ILIAC ARTERY (fig. 138, li) is the first part of the 

 vessel leading to the lower limb, and is contained in the cavity of 

 the abdomen. Its extent is from the bifurcation of the common 

 iliac to the lower border of Poupart's ligament, where it becomes the 

 common femoral. And its direction would be indicated, on the 

 surface of the abdomen, by a line from the left of the umbilicus to a 

 point midway between the symphysis pubis and the anterior superior 

 iliac spine. 



The vessel lies above the brim of the pelvis in its course to 

 Poupart's ligament, and is covered closely by the peritoneum and 

 the subperitoneal fat. The right artery is crossed by the lower end 

 of the ileum, and the left by the pelvic colon. To its outer side 

 is the psoas, except at its termination under Poupart's ligament, 

 where it lies over the muscle. A chain of lymphatic glands is 

 placed along the front and the inner side of the artery. 



Close to its origin the artery is often crossed by the ureter ; arid 

 near Poupart's ligament the vas cleferens bends down along its 

 inner side ; while the spermatic vessels, and the genital branch of 

 the genito-crural nerve, lie on it for a short distance. 



The external iliac vein (r) is behind the artery above, but 

 gradually comes forwards and gains its inner side over the pubis. 

 The circumflex iliac vein crosses it nearly an inch above Poupart's 

 ligament. 



Branches. Two considerable branches, deep epigastric and deep 

 circumflex iliac, arise about a quarter of an inch from the end of 

 the artery, and are distributed to the wall of the abdomen (p. 284). 



Some small unnamed twigs are given to the psoas muscle and the 

 lymphatic glands. 



Peculiarities in branches. The epigastric and circumflex iliac branches may 

 wander over the lower inch and a half or two inches of the artery. The 

 obturator artery is often derived from the external iliac, in which case it 

 generally arises in common with the deep epigastric artery (p. 294.) In 

 rare cases the internal circumflex artery of the thigh is given off from the 

 epigastric or the lower part of the external iliac trunk. 



ILIAC VEINS AND VENA CAVA (fig. 138). The larger veins of the 

 abdomen correspond so closely with the arteries, both in number, 

 extent, and relations, as to render unnecessary much detail in their 

 description. As the veins increase in size from the circumference 

 towards the centre of the body, those most distant from the heart 

 will be first referred to. 



The EXTERNAL ILIAC VEIN (r) is a continuation of the common 

 femoral vein beneath Poupart's ligament. It has an extent like the 

 artery of the same name, and ends by uniting with the vein from the 

 pelvis (internal iliac), to form the common iliac vein. On the pubis 



