Deep circumflex iliac artery

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

The deep circumflex iliac artery (or deep iliac circumflex artery) is an artery in the pelvis that travels along the iliac crest of the pelvic bone.

Course

The deep circumflex iliac artery arises from the lateral aspect of the external iliac artery nearly opposite the origin of the inferior epigastric artery.

It ascends obliquely lateralward behind the inguinal ligament, contained in a fibrous sheath formed by the junction of the transversalis fascia and iliac fascia, to the anterior superior iliac spine, where it anastomoses with the ascending branch of the lateral femoral circumflex artery.

It then pierces the transversalis fascia and passes along the inner lip of the crest of the ilium to about its middle, where it perforates the transversus abdominis muscle, and runs backward between that muscle and the internal oblique, to anastomose with the iliolumbar artery and the superior gluteal artery.

Opposite the anterior superior spine of the ilium it gives off a large branch, which ascends between the internal oblique and transversus abdominis muscles, supplying them, and anastomosing with the lumbar arteries and inferior epigastric artery.