title: The blood supply to the sacrotuberous ligament.
abstract: Knowledge of the vascular supply associated with the sacrotuberous ligament is incomplete, and at most attributed to a single coccygeal branch. Our aim was to investigate the sacrotuberous ligament vasculature with a focus on its origin and distribution. We dissected 21 hemipelvises (10 male and 11 female). The gluteus maximus was reflected medially, and a special emphasis was placed on the dissection of the vascular and neuronal structures. All specimens exhibited several (1-4) coccygeal arteries branching from the inferior gluteal artery penetrating the sacrotuberous ligament along its length. Seven specimens demonstrated the superior gluteal artery supplying sacral branches to the proximal superior border of the sacrotuberous ligament. Our study highlights several branches from a variety of origins as the supply to sacrotuberous ligament unlike previous reports stating only one vessel. Our results implicate surgical procedures in and around the area of the gluteal region such as decompressive procedures of the pudendal nerve, as it travels between the sacrotuberous and sacrospinous ligaments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George's University, St George's, Grenada.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George's University, St George's, Grenada.
authors.forename: Maira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: du Plessis
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Candace
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wooten
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gielecki
authors.affiliation: Seattle Science Foundation, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: R Shane
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tubbs
authors.affiliation: Seattle Science Foundation, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Rod J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Oskouian
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George's University, St George's, Grenada. mloukas@sgu.edu.
authors.forename: Marios
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Loukas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D059925:Anatomic Landmarks; D002081:Buttocks / Q000098:blood supply*; D002102:Cadaver; D004210:Dissection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008023:Ligaments, Articular / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D012447:Sacrum / Q000098:blood supply*
keywords: Inferior gluteal artery; Pelvic variations; Pudendal nerve entrapment; Sacrotuberous ligament; Superior gluteal artery