Major system arteries of the body

Author: Dimitrios Mytilinaios MD, PhD

Last update: May 26th, 2023

Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the periphery. Most arteries carry oxygenated blood, with the exception of pulmonary arteries, which carry deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs.

The major systemic arteries of the body all stem from the aorta or ramify from the aorta’s main branches. Topographically, the aorta is divided into the ascending aorta, aortic arch, descending thoracic aorta, and descending abdominal aorta. These parts of the aorta provide the vessels that supply every region of the body: head and neck, brain, thorax, abdomen, pelvis, upper limbs, and lower limbs.

This article will give an overview of the main arteries in each body region.

Head and neck

The head and neck are primarily supplied by branches of the subclavian and common carotid arteries. The common carotid artery is a paired vessel. It bifurcates in the neck and gives off the external and internal carotid arteries on each side.

 

 

The internal carotid artery gives off branches for the supply of the brain, such as:

• Superior hypophyseal artery
• Inferior hypophyseal artery
• Ophthalmic artery
• Anterior choroidal artery
• Supratrochlear artery
• Anterior cerebral artery
• Middle cerebral artery
• Supraorbital artery

The subclavian artery, together with the superior thyroid and ascending pharyngeal branches of the external carotid artery, supplies the structures of the neck. The branches of the subclavian artery include:

• Vertebral artery
• Thyrocervical trunk
• Inferior thyroid artery
• Suprascapular artery
• Transverse cervical artery
• Costocervical trunk
• Deep cervical artery

Expand your knowledge with Kenhub free article: vertebral artery anatomy.

Thorax

The main arteries of the thorax branch out from the descending thoracic aorta. These include:

• Parietal branches that supply the thoracic wall (intercostal, subcostal, and superior phrenic arteries)
• Visceral branches that supply the thoracic viscera (pericardial, bronchial, esophageal, and mediastinal branches)

Abdomen

Similar to the thorax, the main arteries of the abdomen are branches of the descending abdominal aorta. They include:

• Arteries that supply the alimentary canal (celiac trunk, superior mesenteric, and inferior mesenteric arteries)
• Arteries that supply the kidney, adrenal glands, and gonads (middle suprarenal, renal, and gonadal arteries)
• Arteries that supply the posterior abdominal wall (inferior phrenic artery, lumbar arteries, and median sacral artery)

Pelvis

The pelvis and gluteal region are supplied by branches of the internal iliac artery. This artery is a branch of the common iliac artery, which is the terminal branch of the abdominal aorta. The internal iliac artery divides into anterior and posterior divisions, each responsible for different regions.

The posterior division of the internal iliac artery includes the vessels that supply a part of the gluteal region and pelvic wall:

• Iliolumbar artery
• Lateral sacral arteries
• Superior gluteal artery

The anterior division consists of the arteries that supply the remainder of the gluteal region, as well as the pelvic organs:

• Umbilical artery
• Obturator artery
• Inferior vesical artery
• Uterine artery
• Vaginal artery
• Middle anorectal artery
• Internal pudendal artery
• Inferior gluteal artery

Upper limb

The source artery that supplies the upper limb is the axillary artery. This artery originates from the subclavian artery at the level of the lateral border of the first rib.

 

As the axillary artery continues down the upper limb, it topographically changes its name and/or gives off specific branches. From the axilla to the hand, this is the branching pathway of the axillary artery:

• Brachial artery: supplies the arm
• Ulnarand radial arteries: originate from the brachial artery and supply the elbow and forearm
• Palmar arches: network of arteries formed by the union of the terminal branches of the radial and ulnar arteries

 

Lower limb

The blood supply to the lower limb comes from the external iliac artery. This artery is a branch of the common iliac artery. It enters the thigh by passing deep to the inguinal ligament, after which it continues as the femoral artery.

The femoral artery is the main vessel of the lower limb. It gives off multiple branches to supply the thigh:

• Superficial epigastric artery
• Superficial circumflex iliac artery
• Superficial external pudendal artery
• Deep external pudendal artery
• Descending genicular artery
• Deep femoral artery

At the level of the knee, the femoral artery continues as the popliteal artery. The popliteal artery gives several branches for the knee region, as well as two main arteries of the leg: the anterior tibial and posterior tibial arteries.

The tibial arteries supply the leg, coursing towards the foot and emitting various regional branches. Among them, they give off the arteries that provide the blood supply for the ankle and foot region, namely the dorsalis pedis artery for the dorsum of the foot (from the anterior tibial artery) and medial and lateral plantar arteries for the sole of the foot (from the posterior tibial artery).

Learn about the lower limb arteries in more detail with Kenhub’s free article about the lower limb arteries.

References

• Open Anatomy. (n.d.). TA2 Viewer. Retrieved April 5, 2023, from https://ta2viewer.openanatomy.org/
• Betts, J. G., Young, K. A., Wise, J. A., Johnson, E., Poe, B., & Kruse, D. H. (2022). Anatomy and Physiology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/details/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e
• Moore, K. L. (2018). Clinically Oriented Anatomy (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
• Drake, R. L., Vogl, A. W., & Mitchell, A. W. M. (2015). Gray’s Anatomy for Students (3rd ed.). Edinburgh, Scotland: Churchill Livingstone.
• Standring, S. (2021). Gray’s Anatomy (42tst ed.). Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone.