The complete anatomy of the iliolumbar artery: a meta-analysis with clinical implications.

Background: The arterial anatomy of the pelvic region is highly variable, and variations in the anatomy of the ILA may often be observed in its point of origin. The main objective of the present meta-analysis was to provide the most up-to-date and evidence-based data regarding the complete anatomy of the iliolumbar artery (ILA. It is hoped that our results may aid in reducing possible complications associated with various procedures performed in the pelvis.

Materials and methods: To perform this meta-analysis, major online medical databases - PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar - were searched through to find all studies considering the anatomy of the ILA.

Results: The pooled prevalence of the ILA originating from the Internal Iliac Artery, in the overall analysis, was found to be 93.62% (95% CI: 82.96-99.63%). Mean diameter of the ILA was found to be 2.67 mm (Standard Error = 0.19 ; Lower Limit = 2.29 ; Upper Limit = 3.05). Mean length of the ILA was established at 12.50 mm (Standard Error = 1.64 ; Lower Limit = 9.28 ; Upper limit = 15.73).

Conclusions: The anatomy of the ILA was found to be quite constant, in contrast to what has been discussed in the literature. The said artery originated most frequently from the internal iliac artery (93.62%). Most frequently, this artery originated from the internal iliac artery (observed in approximately 93.62% of cases). Notably, the results of our current meta-analysis indicate that the average distance between the ILA's point of origin, the lower margin of the L5 vertebra, and the bifurcation site of the common iliac artery were 43.20 mm and 28.58 mm, respectively.