Vaginal artery

Vaginal artery
Arteries of the female reproductive tract (posterior view): uterine artery, ovarian artery and vaginal arteries.
Vessels of the uterus and its appendages, rear view.
Details
Latin	arteria vaginalis
Source	Internal iliac artery Uterine artery
Vein	vaginal venous plexus
Supplies	urinary bladder, ureter, vagina
Identifiers
Dorlands /Elsevier	a_61/12156498
TA
TH	{{#property:P1694}}
TE	{{#property:P1693}}
FMA	{{#property:P1402}}
Anatomical terminology [[[d:|edit on Wikidata]]]

The vaginal artery is an artery in females that supplies blood to the vagina and the base of the bladder.

Terminology

The vaginal artery is usually defined as a branch of the internal iliac artery.

File:Vaginal artery.jpg

Vaginal artery

Some sources say that the vaginal artery can arise from the internal iliac artery or the uterine artery. However, the phrase vaginal branches of uterine artery is the Terminologia Anatomica term for blood supply to the vagina coming from the uterine artery.

Some texts consider the inferior vesical artery to be found only in males, and that this structure in females is a vaginal artery.

Structure

It descends to the vagina, supplying its mucous membrane. It can send branches to the bulb of the vestibule, the fundus of the bladder, and the contiguous part of the rectum.

The vaginal artery is frequently represented by two or three branches.

See also

• Uterine artery

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

External links

• Anatomy photo:43:13-0206 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "The Female Pelvis: Branches of Internal Iliac Artery"