Which structure is supplied by the vaginal artery?

Which structure is supplied by the vaginal artery?

• A. Kidney
• B. Rectum
• C. Vagina
• D. Uterus

Answer: (C)

The vaginal artery is a pelvic branch whose primary role is to vascularize the vagina. It comes from the internal iliac artery and travels to the vaginal walls, giving branches to the vaginal mucosa and surrounding tissue. This makes the vagina the structure most specifically supplied by the vaginal artery. The kidney receives blood from the renal arteries arising high on the aorta, not from pelvic branches. The rectum is supplied mainly by the superior rectal artery (from the inferior mesenteric) and the middle and inferior rectal arteries (from the internal iliac), not primarily by the vaginal artery. The uterus is mainly supplied by the uterine arteries, with some contribution from ovarian arteries and collateral networks, but the vaginal artery’s primary target is the vagina.

The vaginal artery is a pelvic branch whose primary role is to vascularize the vagina. It comes from the internal iliac artery and travels to the vaginal walls, giving branches to the vaginal mucosa and surrounding tissue. This makes the vagina the structure most specifically supplied by the vaginal artery. The kidney receives blood from the renal arteries arising high on the aorta, not from pelvic branches. The rectum is supplied mainly by the superior rectal artery (from the inferior mesenteric) and the middle and inferior rectal arteries (from the internal iliac), not primarily by the vaginal artery. The uterus is mainly supplied by the uterine arteries, with some contribution from ovarian arteries and collateral networks, but the vaginal artery’s primary target is the vagina.