Pelvic walls, vessels, and nerves
Dr. Firas Mohammed Ghazi
The pelvis
 Cavity for Pelvic viscera
 Continuous with abdominal cavity
 Inlet, outlet, walls, and floor
The pelvic bones
AP
 Hip
 Sacrum
 Coccyx
True Vs Falls pelvis
• Pelvis is divided into true and falls by _______ which
is formed by______________
Cavity of the true pelvis


1.
2.
Between Inlet & Outlet
Bounded by
Ant., post., & lat. walls
Floor
Pelvic inlet
• Transversely oval
• Bounded by Vessels
• Many structures pass
through it
Posterior wall
1. Anterior sacral foramina
2. Piriformis
3. Sacral plexus (sciatic N.)
Lateral wall
1.
2.
3.
4.
Sacrotuberous & sacrospinous ligaments
Greater and lesser sciatic foramina
Obturator foramen, membrane and canal
Obturator internus
The Pelvic outlet
(Diamond shaped)
Formed by
1. ____________ anteriorly
2. ____________ posteriorly
Pelvic Floor
(Pelvic diaphragm)





Formed by 2 Muscles
Gutter-shaped
Separates pelvic cavity from ____
Openings: urethra ±vagina, rectum
Perineal body??
Pelvic viscera
Male
Female
Female pelvis is adapted to childbirth
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Roomier
Inlet: Oval in women/ heart-shaped in men
Cavity: wider and shorter in women
Outlet: larger in women
Sub-pubic angle: Wider in women
Linings of the pelvis
 Pelvic fascia and peritoneum
 Parietal and visceral
 Reflections on viscera?
 Pelvic nerves &vessels lie outside
Peritoneal reflections and spaces
Rectovesical pouch
Recto uterine pouch
Female pelvis and labor
 Curved axis
 Fetal head rotates 2 times while descending
 Explain rotation of the fetal head !!!
Major vessels of the pelvis
 Internal iliac artery and vein (± ovarian rtery)
 Run on the walls of the pelvis
 Pelvic fractures can lead to sever internal bleeding
Obturator nerve and pelvic appendix
• Run on the lateral pelvic wall covered by pelvic
fascia and peritoneum