Obturator Foramen

Description

The obturator artery divides into medial and lateral branches as it emerges from the obturator canal. An acetabular branch rises from the lateral part and runs towards the hip joint. The obturator nerve divides into anterior (Pectineus m., Adductor longus m., Adductor brevis m. Gracilis m.) and posterior divisions (Obturator externus m., Adductor magnus m.)

Obturator foramen is marked in the lower left

Name

• Obturator Foramen

General

• Large, obliquely oriented ovoid foramen located at the anterior aspect of both sides of the pelvis
• Formed by parts of the ischium and pubis
• Covered by a thin layer termed the obturator membrane
• Forms the obturator canal at its superior margin

Gross Anatomy

• Superior: superior pubic ramus, inferior margin of the acetabulum
• Anterior: pubic body
• Inferior: ischiopubic ramus
• Posterior: ischiopubic ramus, acetabulum

Muscle Attachments

• Obturator Internus
• Obturator Externus

Function

• Transmits the Obturator Nerve, Obturator Artery, Obturator Vein
• Facilitates the neurovascular bundle leaving the pelvic cavity and entering the medial compartment of the thigh

Variation

• Larger, more oval in males
• Smaller, more triangular in females

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Clinical Significance

• Obturator hernia

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See Also

• Hip Anatomy Main
• Hip Pain Main
• Physical Exam Hip

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