iliac fossa
{{Short description|Indentation on the hipbone}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}{{Infobox bone
| Name = Iliac fossa
| Latin = fossa iliaca
| Image = Gray236.png
| Caption = Right hip bone. Internal surface. (Iliac fossa visible at upper left.)
| Image2 = Pelvic girdle illustration.svg
| Caption2 = Pelvic girdle. (Region of iliac fossa visible at tip of arrow pointing from the word "Ilium".)
}}
The iliac fossa is a large, smooth, concave surface on the internal surface of the ilium (part of the three fused bones making the hip bone).
Structure
The iliac fossa is bounded above by the iliac crest, and below by the arcuate line. It is bordered in front and behind by the anterior and posterior borders of the ilium.
The iliac fossa gives origin to the iliacus muscle.{{Citation|last=Chaitow|first=Leon|title=Chapter 11 - The pelvis|date=2011-01-01|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780443068157000115|work=Clinical Application of Neuromuscular Techniques, Volume 2 (Second Edition)|pages=299–389|editor-last=Chaitow|editor-first=Leon|place=Oxford|publisher=Churchill Livingstone|language=en|isbn=978-0-443-06815-7|access-date=2021-01-13|last2=DeLany|first2=Judith|editor2-last=DeLany|editor2-first=Judith}} The obturator nerve passes around the iliac fossa.{{Citation|last=Ahmadian|first=Amir|title=Chapter 35 - Injuries to the Nerves of the Abdominopelvic Region|date=2015-01-01|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128026533000841|work=Nerves and Nerve Injuries|pages=545–555|editor-last=Tubbs|editor-first=R. Shane|place=San Diego|publisher=Academic Press|language=en|isbn=978-0-12-802653-3|access-date=2021-01-13|last2=Abel|first2=Naomi|last3=Dakwar|first3=Elias|editor2-last=Rizk|editor2-first=Elias|editor3-last=Shoja|editor3-first=Mohammadali M.|editor4-last=Loukas|editor4-first=Marios}} It is perforated at its inner part by a nutrient canal. Below it there is a smooth, rounded border, the arcuate line, which runs anterior, inferior, and medial.
When the "left" or "right" adjective is used (e.g. "right iliac fossa"), the iliac fossa usually means one of the inguinal regions of the nine regions of the abdomen.
Additional images
File:Anterior Hip Muscles 2.PNG|The iliacus and nearby muscles
File:Slide5AA.JPG|Iliac fossa
File:Slide6A.JPG|Iliac fossa
File:Slide2DAD.JPG|Hip joint. Lateral view. Iliac fossa.
File:Slide1gt.JPG|Lumbar and sacral plexus. Deep dissection. Anterior view