A surgeon exposing the perineum identifies a neurovascular bundle running in the pudendal canal (Alcock canal) on the lateral wall of the ischioanal fossa. Which artery enters this canal after hooking around the sacrospinous ligament?

• A Superior gluteal artery
• B Internal pudendal artery ✓
• C Inferior vesical artery
• D Inferior rectal artery

Explanation

The internal pudendal artery, a branch of the anterior division of the internal iliac, leaves the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen below piriformis, winds around the sacrospinous ligament, re-enters through the lesser sciatic foramen, and enters Alcock canal. There it gives the inferior rectal, perineal, and dorsal and deep arteries of the penis or clitoris. The inferior rectal artery is a branch given off within the canal, not the parent vessel entering it.

Reference: Gray's Anatomy for Students, 4th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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