The inferior epigastric artery arising from the internal iliac artery via a common trunk with the obturator artery
A rare case of a left inferior epigastric artery was observed in an 84-year-old female cadaver, in which this artery formed a common trunk with the left obturator artery. The common trunk for these inferior epigastric and obturator arteries arose from the lateral surface of the left internal iliac artery, at 3.0 mm below the bifurcation of the left common iliac artery. This trunk was the first branch of the left internal iliac artery, which ran straight between the left external iliac artery and left external iliac vein without forming an anastomosis with any branches from the left external iliac artery, and terminated dividing into the left inferior epigastric and left obturator arteries just superior to the inguinal ligament (). After division, the left inferior epigastric artery took the usual course, running superiorly and entering the rectus sheath, while the left obturator artery crossed over the external iliac vein, and ran medially to enter the obturator canal. The bifurcation of the left common iliac artery was at 58.0 mm below the aortic bifurcation. Two left obturator veins were observed; one was inferomedial to the left obturator nerve, joining the left internal iliac vein, and the other was superior to the left obturator artery, joining to the left external iliac vein.