A Rare Anatomical Variation of Iliac Artery in ApoE-/- Mice

Aim: The study aimed to report a case of anatomical variation in the mouse iliac artery. Methods Totally 35 aortas of male ApoE −/− mice were dissected, including the aortic tree and their distal branches. Results Among the 35 arteries, 1 of them showed prominent anatomic variants unexpectedly. The terminal abdominal aorta descended as a trunk and finally extended into the left external iliac artery after divided out several main branches, instead of divided into the left and right iliac arteries communis as reported in previous studies. Conclusion The present study identified a rare case of iliac artery anatomical variation in ApoE- / -mice. Mice as vertebrate mammals highly close to human anatomy, the finding might help in the pre-intervention for catheter surgery in human patients and interpreting angiography of the pelvic region by radiologists.