166 Buletin USAMV-CN, 63/2005 (166-169) ISSN 1454-2382 PARTICULARITIES OF COLLATERALS AND TERMINALS OF EXTERNAL ILIAC ARTERIES IN HORSE Stan F., A. Gudea., A. Damian., I. Papuc., University of Agricultural Science and Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, 3-5, Mănătur street, 3400, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Email:flodvm@yahoo.com Key words: anatomy, vascular, horse, external iliac artery, femoral artery Abstract: The present study deals with some anatomical aspects observed during in the circulatory system in horse during the normal didactical activities in the Department of Comparative Anatomy of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Cluj Napoca. Based on the dissections carried on 20 horse hind limb parts we concluded that there is a certain amount of individual plasticity in the case of some arteries, considered as collaterals or terminals in the pelvic and thigh area. INTRODUCTION The external iliac artery (Arteria iliaca externa) in horse is one of the terminals of the abdominal aorta. This artery is placed at the side of the pelvic inlet, alongside the external iliac venous trunk and descends obliquely from sublombar area to the internal inguinal ring. From here, the artery is called the femoral artery (A.femoralis). The chief branches of the external iliac arteries are: the circumflex iliac artery (A.circumflexa ilium profunda), the external spermatic (cremasteric) artery (A.spermatica externa) in male or the middle uterine artery (A.uterina media) in female. As one of the main collaterals of the femoral artery (A.femoralis), the deep femoral artery (A.profonda femoris) is short (4-5 cm) and ends with the pudendo-epigastric trunk (Truncus pudendoepigastricus) and the circumflex femoral medial artery (A.circumflexa femoris medialis). The circumflex femoral medial artery (A.circumflexa femoris medialis) passes at the medial part of the femurus, in between the iliacus and pectineus muscles, giving off branches in caudo-lateral muscles of the thigh. The pudendo-epigastric trunk (Truncus pudendoepigastricus) may arise directly from external iliac artery in some cases, having a cranial trajectory, dorsally from the inguinal ring, giving off 2 branches: the caudal epigastric artery (Arteria epigastrica caudalis) and external pudend artery (Arteria pudenda externa). The caudal epigastric artery (Arteria epigastrica caudalis) passes above the deep inguinal ring and follows the lateral border of the rectus abdominis muscle. The external pudend artery (Arteria pudenda externa) is larger than the previous one, enters the inguinal canal, at the posterior rim of it, in between the inguinal ring and vaginal canal. The artery leaves the inguinal canal at the level of the superficial inguinal ring and gives off 2 branches: the cranial penian artery (A.penis cranialis) and superficial caudal epigastric artery (A.epigastrica cranialis superficialis) that gives off preputial branches (rami preputialis) in male and mammary branches (rami mammarii). MATERIAL AND METHOD