Corona mortis variant of the obturator artery: a systematic study of 300 hemipelvises by means of computed tomography angiography

Purpose
The purpose of the present study is to systematically assess the prevalence and characteristics of the corona mortis (CM) variant of the obturator artery by means of computerised tomography angiography (CTA).

Material and methods
A total of 150 consecutive patients (112 males, average age 73 years) referred to CTA for lower limb arterial evaluation were included in this retrospective study. Patient demographics, anastomosis incidence, artery diameter, distance from the symphysis pubis, Kellgren-Lawrence score, and pelvic size were evaluated.

Results
In this study 40.6% of patients presented at least one competent CM arterial anastomosis. In the 300 evaluated arteries, 90 arterial anastomoses were found (30%), 40 on the right side (average diameter 1.63 mm) and 50 on the left side (1.78 mm). In 32 cases there was only one anastomosis, while in 29 cases the CM was bilateral. No anastomoses were detected in 89 patients. Mean distance from the symphysis was 50 mm. No relevant association with hip osteoarthrosis was found for CM. Mean pelvic size was 213 mm.

Conclusions
The evidence from this study suggests that CM is a common variant that needs to be acknowledged before pelvic intervention.