Lesser pelvis
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| Bone: Lesser pelvis | |
|---|---|
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| Male pelvis. | |
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| Female pelvis. | |
| Latin | pelvis minor |
| Gray's | subject #58 239 |
| Dorlands / Elsevier | p_10/12623266 |
The lesser pelvis (or true pelvis) is that part of the pelvic cavity which is situated below and behind the pelvic brim.
Its bony walls are more complete than those of the greater pelvis.
For convenience of description, it is divided into a pelvic inlet bounded by the superior circumference, and pelvic outlet bounded by the inferior circumference, and a cavity of the lesser pelvis.
Contents |
Cavity
The cavity of the lesser pelvis is bounded in front and below by the pubic symphysis and the superior rami of the pubes; above and behind, by the pelvic surfaces of the sacrum and coccyx, which, curving forward above and below, contract the superior and inferior apertures of the cavity; laterally, by a broad, smooth, quadrangular area of bone, corresponding to the inner surfaces of the body and superior ramus of the ischium and that part of the ilium which is below the arcuate line.
From this description it will be seen that the cavity of the lesser pelvis is a short, curved canal, considerably deeper on its posterior than on its anterior wall.
It contains, in the fresh subject, the pelvic colon, rectum, bladder, and some of the organs of generation.
The rectum is placed at the back of the pelvis, in the curve of the sacrum and coccyx; the bladder is in front, behind the pubic symphysis.
In the female the uterus and vagina occupy the interval between these viscera.
Additional images
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 Body cavities |
 Articulations of pelvis. Anterior view. |
 The arteries of the pelvis. |
 Dissection of side wall of pelvis showing sacral and pudendal plexuses. |
 Sacral plexus of the right side. |
See also
External links
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
Bones of pelvis/pelvic cavity | |
|---|---|
| General | sacrum, coccyx, hip bone |
| Ilium | Body (Arcuate line) Wing: gluteal lines (Posterior, Anterior, Inferior) - Fossa - iliac spines (Anterior superior, Anterior inferior, Posterior superior, Posterior inferior) - Crest - Tuberosity |
| Ischium | Body (Ischial spine, Lesser sciatic notch) - Superior ramus (Tuberosity of the ischium) - Inferior ramus |
| Pubis | Body - Superior ramus (Pubic tubercle, Pubic crest, Obturator crest) - Inferior ramus (Pectineal line) |
| Compound | Acetabulum (Acetabular notch) - Iliopubic eminence/Iliopectineal line - Linea terminalis - Ischiopubic ramus/Pubic arch
Obturator foramen - Greater sciatic foramen/Greater sciatic notch - Lesser sciatic foramen Lesser pelvis (Pelvic inlet, Pelvic brim, Pelvic outlet) - Greater pelvis |
