Skip to content
ScienceQuest

Common iliac artery

The common iliac arteries are the two end branches of the abdominal aorta. They supply the pelvis and, through their branches, the lower limbs. (StatPearls, Abdomen and Pelvis: Abdominal Aorta and Abdomen and Pelvis: Aorta; OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5)

Latin arteria iliaca communis (Wikipedia, Common iliac artery, CC BY-SA 4.0) · FMA14764 · Cardiovascular system

The great vessels from the front, all faded except the right and left common iliac arteries, highlighted where the abdominal aorta splits into them.
Both common iliac arteries in place, seen from the front. Render: ScienceQuest, CC BY 4.0. Meshes: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0
The right and left common iliac arteries on their own, seen from the front, diverging from the point where the aorta ends.
The two common iliac arteries alone, seen from the front. Render: ScienceQuest, CC BY 4.0. Meshes: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0

Open it in the Great Vessels Explorer See it alone in 3D

Where do the common iliac arteries start?

The aorta splits into the right and left common iliac arteries at about the level of L4. A small median sacral artery, the middle sacral artery in Gray’s Anatomy (1918), runs on to the sacrum: OpenStax calls it the aorta’s continuation, while Gray’s and StatPearls have it leave the back of the aorta a little above the split. (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; Gray’s Anatomy (1918), The Common Iliac Arteries and The Abdominal Aorta; StatPearls, Abdomen and Pelvis: Internal Iliac Arteries)

Each usually divides in front of the sacroiliac joint into the internal iliac and external iliac arteries. (StatPearls, Abdomen and Pelvis: Internal Iliac Arteries)

What do the common iliac arteries supply?

The internal iliac artery is the main supply of the pelvic organs, the urinary bladder among them, and also feeds the pelvic wall, perineum, buttock and thigh. In females its branches reach the uterus and vagina. (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Abdomen and Pelvis: Internal Iliac Arteries)

The external iliac artery, the larger branch, is the main supply of the lower limb. Past the inguinal ligament it becomes the common femoral artery. (StatPearls, Abdomen and Pelvis: External Iliac Arteries)

What lies next to the common iliac artery and its branches?

The ureter enters the pelvis close to the bifurcation of the common iliac artery and runs along the medial side of the internal iliac artery. (StatPearls, Abdomen and Pelvis: Internal Iliac Arteries)

The common iliac veins join at the level of L5 to form the inferior vena cava. (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Abdomen and Pelvis: Inferior Vena Cava)

The external iliac artery runs along the medial border of the psoas major before it leaves the pelvis behind the inguinal ligament. (StatPearls, Abdomen and Pelvis: External Iliac Arteries)

Where the sources differ

The sources use different landmarks for both ends. OpenStax splits the aorta at L4 and each common iliac at about the lumbosacral joint. StatPearls (Internal Iliac Arteries) starts them at L4 to L5 and splits each in front of the sacroiliac joint, at L5 to S1 in adults. (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Abdomen and Pelvis: Internal Iliac Arteries)

The common iliac artery at a glance
Feature Detail and source
Arises from Split of the abdominal aorta, about L4 (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Thorax, Heart Aorta; Gray’s Anatomy (1918), The Common Iliac Arteries)
Divides into Internal and external iliac arteries (StatPearls, Abdomen and Pelvis: Internal Iliac Arteries)
Supplies Pelvis and lower limbs (OpenStax A&P 2e, 20.5; StatPearls, Abdomen and Pelvis: Aorta)

Touches in this model

Measured on the BodyParts3D meshes: surfaces within 2 mm of the common iliac artery, nearest first, 12 of 13.

Sources

  1. StatPearls, Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Abdominal Aorta. Clement T. Tran; Cheng Ying Wu; Stephen J. Bordes; Forshing Lui. Last update July 25, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
  2. OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, section 20.5, Circulatory Pathways. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
  3. StatPearls, Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Aorta. Hunter J. White; Stephen J. Bordes; Judith Borger. Last update July 25, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
  4. Anatomy of the Human Body (Gray’s Anatomy), 20th US edition, 1918, Angiology, The Common Iliac Arteries (Aa. Iliacae Communes); Internet Archive scan of the 1918 Lea and Febiger printing, terminology of 1918. Henry Gray; edited by Warren H. Lewis. Public domain. Read 2026-10-25.
  5. Anatomy of the Human Body (Gray’s Anatomy), 20th US edition, 1918, Angiology, The Abdominal Aorta, its branches and the middle sacral artery; Internet Archive scan of the 1918 Lea and Febiger printing, terminology of 1918. Henry Gray; edited by Warren H. Lewis. Public domain. Read 2026-10-25.
  6. StatPearls, Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Internal Iliac Arteries. Nicolas Zaunbrecher; Tafline C. Arbor; Navdeep S. Samra. Last update January 17, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
  7. StatPearls, Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: External Iliac Arteries. Eric Hammond; Ali Nassereddin; Michael Costanza. Last update August 7, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
  8. StatPearls, Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Inferior Vena Cava. William D. Tucker; Ribesh Shrestha; Bracken Burns. Last update July 24, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.
  9. StatPearls, Anatomy, Thorax, Heart Aorta. James S. Shahoud; Julia H. Miao; Srinivasa Rao Bolla. Last update July 24, 2023. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Read 2026-10-25.

The values are facts and free to use; this page’s selection and presentation are © 2026 ScienceQuest.