A Comment on “Variability in the Origin of the Obturator Artery”

I have read the article entitled “Variability in the origin of the obturator artery” published in clinics by Pai et al (2009)1 with fanatical interest. The article provides necessary information for the surgeons operating on the lower abdomen and pelvis who often retract the abdominal muscles laterally placing pressure on the lateral pelvic walls. Thus, a complete understanding of the anatomy of this area is critical. The superior border of the iliopubic ramus is an area of considerable concern for a variety of surgical subspecialists, as it serves as an anchoring site for inguinal and femoral hernia repairs. The knowledge of anatomical variations of obturator vessels should reach clinicians otherwise anomalous structures coming in their way during surgical procedures can lead to a cause of serious medical interventions. I agree with the authors that surgeons must be conscious of unexpected sources of hemorrhage, such as an aberrant obturator artery or vein, and unexpected iliopubic vessels and take appropriate precautions to avoid injury to these structures. I appreciate clinics journal for publishing such an attention-grabbing article.