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Part of the pelvis From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
| 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 | |
It is bounded as follows:
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 |
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