THE EXTERNAL ILIAC ARTERY. 



483 



artery, may be marked by a line drawn on the surface of the abdomen from the 

 place of division of the aorta, i.e., a spot about a finger's breadth to the left of and 

 below the umbilicus, to a point midway between the anterior superior spine of the 

 ilium and the symphysis pubis. The upper third of this line would lie over the 

 common iliac, the lower two-thirds over the external iliac artery. 



In its course downwards and forwards, the external iliac artery is situated a little 

 above the brim of the pelvis, and rests for the most part against the inner border of 

 the psoas, but near Poupart's ligament it passes onto the front of that muscle. It 

 is, however, separated from the muscle by the iliac fascia, to which -it -4s bound, 

 together with the companion vein, by the subperitoneal tissue. The artery is 

 covered by peritoneum, and crossed on the left side by the sigmoid flexure of the 



Fig. 385. THE ILIAC ARTERIES OP 



THE RIGHT SIDE, IN THE MALE. 



(Allen Thomson.) 



For the detailed description of this 

 figure, see p. 470. 2', external iliac 

 artery, accompanied by 4', the corre- 

 sponding vein ; 12, epigastric artery, 

 winding to the inner side of + , + , 

 the spermatic cord, and sending down- 

 wards its pubic branch to join 9', the 

 pubic offsets of the obturator artery ; 

 the epigastric artery is out short 

 above ; 13, circumflex iliac artery, 

 anastomosing with 15, branches of the 

 ilio-lumbar ; 14, spermatic vessels, 

 descending to join the spermatic cord ; 

 + , within the pelvis, the vas deferens 

 descending from the cord. 



colon, on the right by the ter- 

 mination of the ileum. The 

 ureter, as it descends into the 

 pelvis, sometimes passes over 

 the upper end of the vessel. 



Relation to veins, &c. The 

 external iliac vein lies at first 

 behind the artery with an in- 

 clination to the inner side ; 

 but, as the vessels approach 



Poupart's ligament at the fore part of the pelvis, the vein is on the same plane with 

 the artery and quite to the inner side, being carried forwards by the bone. At a 

 short distance from its lower end the artery is crossed by the circumflex iliac vein. 



Large lymphatic glands are found resting upon the front and inner side of the 

 artery ; and the spermatic (or ovarian) vessels, together with the genital branch of 

 the genito-crural nerve, descend over it near its termination. 



BRANCHES. The external iliac artery supplies small twigs to the psoas muscle 

 and the neighbouring lymphatic glands, and, close to its termination, two branches 

 of considerable size, viz., the epigastric and the circumflex iliac, which are distributed 

 to the walls of the abdomen. 



1. The deep epigastric artery (iv) (inferior epigastric) arises from the inner 

 and fore part of the external iliac, usually a few lines above Poupart's ligament. It 

 is at first directed inwards for a short distance between Poupart's ligament and the 

 internal abdominal ring, and then ascends on the inner side of that aperture, being 

 covered by the transversalis fascia and resting on the peritoneum. As it turns round 



VOL. II. 



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