| Greater sciatic foramen | |
|---|---|
 The pelvis showing the greater sciatic foramen in red | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | foramen ischiadicum majus |
| TA98 | A03.6.03.008 |
| TA2 | 1316 |
| FMA | 17031 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The greater sciatic foramen is an opening (foramen) in the posterior human pelvis. It is formed by the sacrotuberous and sacrospinous ligaments. The piriformis muscle passes through the foramen and occupies most of its volume. The greater sciatic foramen is wider in women than in men.
Structure[edit]
It is bounded as follows:
- anterolaterally by the greater sciatic notch of the ilium.[1]
- posteromedially by the sacrotuberous ligament.[1]
- inferiorly by the sacrospinous ligament and the ischial spine.[1]
- superiorly by the anterior sacroiliac ligament.
Function[edit]
The piriformis, which exits the pelvis through the foramen, occupies most of its volume.
The following structures also exit the pelvis through the greater sciatic foramen:[2]
| Location | Name | Vessels | Nerves |
| Above the Piriformis | suprapiriform foramen[3] | superior gluteal vessels | superior gluteal nerve |
| Below the Piriformis | infrapiriform foramen[3] | inferior gluteal vessels internal pudendal vessels |
inferior gluteal nerve pudendal nerve sciatic nerve posterior femoral cutaneous nerve Nerve to obturator internus Nerve to quadratus femoris |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 309 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
- ^ a b c Chaitow, Leon; DeLany, Judith (January 1, 2011), Chaitow, Leon; DeLany, Judith (eds.), "Chapter 11 - The pelvis", Clinical Application of Neuromuscular Techniques, Volume 2 (Second Edition), Oxford: Churchill Livingstone, pp. 299–389, doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-06815-7.00011-5, ISBN 978-0-443-06815-7, retrieved February 6, 2021
- ^ "Greater Sciatic Foramen - Wheeless' Textbook of Orthopaedics". wheelessonline.com. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
- ^ a b Yokochi, Chihiro; Rohen, Johannes W. (2006). Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body. Hagerstown, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 482. ISBN 978-0-7817-9013-0.
External links[edit]
- Greater sciatic foramen at the Duke University Health System's Orthopedics program
- glutealregion at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (glutealart, glutealner)
