Neurovasculature – Gluteal Region and Posterior Thigh

00:00 to stabilize the lateral aspect of the knee joint. If we look at the neurovasculature of this region, then it?s really important that we remember piriformis muscle. Here we can see piriformis, and this is a really important landmark. We can see lots of arteries and veins and nerves passing above piriformis and also passing from below piriformis.

00:21 We can see the large sciatic nerve passing from below piriformis. We can also see the sciatic nerve passing down the posterior aspect of the thigh as it then splits into its common fibula and tibial nerves. And we can see some perforating arteries, and the perforating arteries are supplying the posterior aspect of the thigh. So piriformis is a really important landmark for some neurovascular relation. Piriformis exits, as I said, through the greater sciatic foramen. Superior to piriformis, we have the superior gluteal artery, vein and nerve. So in yellow, we have the nerve. In red, we have the artery and in blue, we have the vein. So superior gluteal nerve, artery, and vein. Inferior to piriformis, we find we have the opposite. We have the inferior gluteal artery in red, vein in blue, and nerve, we can see here, in yellow. Also coming out inferior to piriformis, we have the sciatic nerve. This large nerve about two centimetres wide and we can see it here passing down the posterior aspect of the thigh. Also coming out alongside it, is the posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh we can just see here. Also coming inferior away from the piriformis is the pudendal neurovascular bundle. We have the internal pudendal artery, we have the internal pudendal vein, and we have the pudendal nerve. These leave the pelvis via the greater sciatic foramen, but then they go into the perineum via the lesser sciatic foramen.

02:03 So the piriformis is a really important landmark to identify all of these neurovasculature.