ABSTRACT
Oxygenated blood leaves the left ventricle of the heart via the aorta which, after giving off branches to supply the head and neck, curves over to pass down on the posterior wall of the thorax and abdomen. Shortly before entering the pelvis, the aorta divides into the two common iliac arteries which, in turn, separate into the external and internal iliac vessels. The former mainly supplies the lower limb whereas the blood in the latter is largely directed to the pelvic organs.
