Branches of anterior and posterior divisions of the internal iliac artery (mnemonic)
A useful mnemonic to remember the branches of the anterior and posterior divisions of the internal iliac artery is:
- I <3 U SUMO SIL which reads as "I love you sumo Sil"
Mnemonic
- I: internal pudendal artery
- I: inferior vesical artery *
- I: inferior gluteal artery
- U: uterine artery (in females)
- S: superior vesical artery
- U: umbilical artery
- M: middle rectal artery
- O: obturator artery
- S: superior gluteal artery
- I: iliolumbar artery
- L: lateral sacral artery
The last three arteries (superior gluteal, iliolumbar, lateral sacral) are all branches of the posterior trunk of the internal iliac artery, whilst the remaining are branches of the anterior trunk.
NB: *some textbooks consider this to be only existent in males and the vaginal artery is considered the female equivalent.
