| Marginal artery of the colon | |
|---|---|
 Frontal view of theabdominal aorta and the territory supplied by theinferior mesenteric artery. The arteries on the right side (left side of image) arise from thesuperior mesenteric artery (SMA). Themarginal artery (not labeled) connects the middle colic artery (a branch of the SMA) to the left colic artery (a branch of the IMA). | |
 Colonic blood supply (Marginal artery is #9) | |
| Details | |
| Source | Superior mesenteric artery,inferior mesenteric artery |
| Supplies | Large intestine |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | arteria marginalis coli |
| TA98 | A12.2.12.068 |
| TA2 | 4266 |
| FMA | 14824 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Inhuman anatomy, themarginal artery of the colon, also known as themarginal artery of Drummond, theartery of Drummond, and simply as themarginal artery, is anartery that connects theinferior mesenteric artery with thesuperior mesenteric artery. It is sometimes absent, as ananatomical variant.
The marginal artery runs in themesentery close to thelarge intestine as part of the vascular arcade that connects thesuperior mesenteric artery and theinferior mesenteric artery.[1] It provides an effective anastomosis between these two arteries for the large intestine.[1]
The marginal artery is almost always present, and its absence should be considered a variant.
Along with branches of theinternal iliac arteries, it is usually sufficiently large to supply the oxygenatedblood to thelarge intestine.[1] This means that theinferior mesenteric artery does not have to be re-implanted (re-attached) into the repairedabdominal aorta inabdominal aortic aneurysm repair.[1]
TheArc of Riolan (Riolan's arcade, Arch of Riolan, Haller's anastomosis), also known as themeandering mesenteric artery, is another vascular arcade present in the colonic mesentery that connect the proximalmiddle colic artery with a branch of theleft colic artery. This artery is found low in the mesentery, near the root. In the setting of chronicischemic colitis, both the marginal artery and the meandering mesenteric artery may be enlarged significantly, and may provide significant blood flow to the ischemic colonic segment.
The marginal artery is also known as the marginal artery of Drummond.[1]
