Inferior anorectal artery
Arteria anorectalis inferior
- Latin synonym: Arteria rectalis inferior
- Synonym: Inferior rectal artery; Inferior hemorrhoidal artery
- Related terms: Inferior rectal artery
Definition
The inferior anorectal artery arises from the internal pudendal artery as it passes above the ischial tuberosity. Piercing the wall of Alcock’s canal it divides into two or three branches which cross the ischiorectal fossa, and are distributed to the muscles and integument of the anal region, and send offshoots around the lower edge of the Gluteus maximus to the skin of the buttock. They anastomose with the corresponding vessels of the opposite side, with the superior and middle anorectal arteries, and with the perineal artery.
References
This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).
