Iliolumbar artery

The iliolumbar artery (Latin: arteria iliolumbalis) is a blood vessel that arises from the posterior trunk of the internal iliac artery and is located in the pelvis. Its branches provide blood supply to muslces of the posterior abdominal wall and several structures within the pelvis.

The artery ascends and crosses the sacroiliac joint and the lumbosacral trunk ventrally. Further, it passes along the medial border of the psoas major muscle, where it divides into two terminal branches - the lumbar branch and iliac branch. The lumbar branch of the iliolumbar artery runs posteriorly and supplies the psoas major and quadratus lumborum muscles. The iliac branch passes dorsally and supplies the iliacus muscle and iliac bone, and also contributes to blood supply of the abdominal wall muscles and gluteal muscles.