| Inferior gluteal artery | |
|---|---|
 Left gluteal region, showing surface markings for arteries andsciatic nerve | |
 Internal iliac artery and branches, including inferior gluteal artery | |
| Details | |
| Source | Internal iliac artery |
| Branches | Accompanying artery ofischiadic nerve |
| Vein | Inferior gluteal veins |
| Supplies | Gluteus maximus,piriformis andquadratus femoris muscles |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | arteria glutea inferior |
| TA98 | A12.2.15.018 |
| TA2 | 4355 |
| FMA | 18871 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Theinferior gluteal artery (sciatic artery) is a terminal branch of the anterior trunk of theinternal iliac artery. It exits the pelvis through thegreater sciatic foramen. It is distributed chiefly to thebuttock and the back of the thigh.[citation needed]
It is the smaller of the two terminal branches of the anterior trunk of theinternal iliac artery.[citation needed]
It passes posterior-ward within parietal pelvic fascia. It travels in between the S1 nerve and S2 (or S2-S3) nerve(s).[1] It descends upon the nerves of thesacral plexus and thepiriformis muscle, posterior to theinternal pudendal artery. It passes through the inferior part of thegreater sciatic foramen.[2] It exits the pelvis inferior to the piriformis muscle,[1] betweenpiriformis muscle andcoccygeus muscle.[citation needed]
It then descends in the interval between thegreater trochanter of thefemur and tuberosity of theischium. It is accompanied by thesciatic nerve and theposterior femoral cutaneous nerves, and covered by thegluteus maximus.[2] It is situated medial to the sciatic nerve.[1] It continues down the back of the thigh, supplying the skin, and anastomosing with branches of theperforating arteries.[citation needed]
The inferior gluteal artery provides arterial supply to thegluteus maximus,obturator internus,quadratus femoris, and (the superior parts of) thehamstring muscles (semimembranosus,semitendinosus, andbiceps femoris muscles).[1]
It forms anastomoses with thesuperior gluteal artery. It frequently participates in the formation of thecruciate anastomosis of the thigh.[1]
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This article incorporates text in thepublic domain frompage 620 of the 20th edition ofGray's Anatomy(1918)
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