Upper Rectal Artery

Rectal artery, superior artery (lat. A. haemorrhoidalis superior) - pelvic artery, branch of the internal iliac artery.

The rectal artery begins at the bifurcation of the internal iliac and passes through the lower part of the rectum. It supplies blood to the rectum, anal canal and anal glands.

The superior rectal artery is an important artery that supplies blood to the rectum and anal canal. This artery also plays an important role in the transmission of nerve impulses associated with the function of the rectum and anorectal region.

In addition, the superior rectal artery can also be used as a source of blood for transplantation in the treatment of diseases of the rectum and anal area.

**Superior rectal artery** (a. haemorrhoidalis superior) is an artery running in the subcutaneous tissue along the medial border of the gluteus maximus muscle along the superior gluteal line. It is a continuation of the superficial artery that bends around the ilium.

The superior rectal artery departs from it. The upper segment of the superior rectal artery is 3-4 cm long and runs along the anteromedial wall of the rectum. At the level of the sacrospinous ligament, it is divided into right and left branches. The right branch passes through the paired vascular foramen of the sacrotuberous muscle and descends to the lower edge of the inferior vesical foramen. The left one passes between the end of the left sacrospinous muscle and the sacrotubercular ligament, and is divided into internal and external branches. The internal branch goes along with the pudendal nerve to the prostate gland and here enters the mesentery of the rectus muscle; the external branch goes to the bladder. It anastomoses with the posterior scrotal artery submucosally, then passes under the pelvic aponeurosis and exits through the lesser sciatic foramen into the perineum. Here it anastomoses with the deep femoral artery. The left and right branches of the rectal artery intersect at the top with the left and right branches of the internal iliac vein of the same name. When leaving the rectum, the superior rectal arteries anastomose with the superior rectal nerve and form a dense cavernous venous network, consisting of 7-28 nodes, similar in structure to