Corona mortis

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Corona mortis, Latin for "crown of death", is a common variant vascular anastomosis between the external iliac artery or deep inferior epigastric artery with the obturator artery. It is reported to be present in a third of patients on routine multi-detector CT examination .

Knowledge of this variant vascular anastomosis is critical for surgical planning, and in pelvic trauma as it is susceptible to vascular injury given its posterior relation to the superior pubic rami .

A study of 100 pelvic CTA scans  found this variant to be:

  • more common in females
  • more commonly unilateral than bilateral (2:1)
  • distance from the ranges pubic symphysis is 35 - 72mm
  • vessel size ranges from 1.4 - 3.7mm
  • not seen in smaller pelvises
  • potentially occluded in patients with known peripheral vascular disease