AN ANOMALOUS ORIGIN OF OBTURATOR ARTERY AND ITS CLINICAL IMPORTANCE IN HUMANS

Background:Obturator artery is one of the medium sized parietal branches of the anterior division of internaliliac artery and it supplies the medial side of the thigh. It is the most variable vessel among thebranches of theinternal iliac artery.Materials and Methods:The present study was conductedon a total of 45 pelvic halves hadbeen studied. The material consisted of adult subjects between the ages of forty and eighty five, from thedissection hall of department of anatomy of Alluri Sitarama Raju Academy of Medical Sciences, Eluru,andAndhra Pradesh.The findings were observed and recorded.Results:Origin of obturator arterywas most fre-quently a direct branch of the anterior division of the internal iliac artery, in 16 specimens (35.55%). It wasarising from the inferior epigastric artery in 12 specimens (26.66%). It arose from the common trunkof inferiorgluteal and internal pudendal artery in 6 specimens (13.33%) etc.Conclusion:Thevariations in obturatorartery may lead to surgical complications during pelvic surgeries requiring suturing along the pelvic brim. Theanomalies affecting the arterial patterns of the limbs are based on unusual selection of channels from primarycapillaries. The most appropriate channel enlarges, whilst the others retract and disappear, therebyestablish-ing thefinalarterial pattern and resulting in variations in the origin.Prior knowledge of the anatomical varia-tions may be beneficial for vascular surgeons ligating the internal iliac artery or its branches andthe radiolo-gists interpreting angiograms of the pelvic region.