A rare anastomotic artery between right and left common iliac arteries: iliac anastomotic artery

Abstract

Congenital abdominal aortoiliac arterial abnormalities are not as common as aortic arch anomalies. Incidentally observed abdominal arterial and venous variations and anomalies are increasingly encountered due to widespread use of multislice CT for abdominal and vascular diseases. Knowledge of these variations or pathologies is crucial, especially before surgery to repair occlusive diseases, aneurysms and transplant surgeries, in order to reduce complications such as vascular injury and bleeding. Here we present an aortoiliac variation observed during abdominal CT examination of a 27-year-old female. This variation appeared as an anomalous arterial structure coursing obliquely and transversely between the right and left proximal common iliac arteries and binding them just below the bifurcation. Physicians should also be familiar with such a case, which appears as a triangular aortoiliac arterial window and which has only been reported in the old anatomical literature.