The dissection of the pelvis is approached superiorly as shown in this
dissection.
Demonstrate viscera such as the rectum, the uterus and bladder as shown in
higher magnification. Use your fingers to
gently separate the viscera and tie off the rectum as far down as you can reach before
removal. NOTE: Use a double ligature! That way by cutting between the ties
you minimize the amount of feces that could spill into the cavity.
In both the male and female you should clean the ureters descending into the bladder and the gonadal
vessels dissected earlier.
As you clean the rectum, follow the superior rectal artery (branching from the inferior mesenteric a.).
Clean as many of the branches
of the internal iliac as you can easily reach (such as the iliolumbar a., obturator a. running
with the obturator n., obliterated umbilical a. giving off the superior vesicle a.).
NOTE: Be aware that your cadaver may have a very common variation, the abnormal obturator a.,
which branches from the inferior epigastric a.)
Additional structures you should clean in the female include:
uterus
uterine tubes
ovaries
round ligament of the uterus
NOTE: Obviously, many of these structures may have already been surgically removed in your
cadaver. If that is the case, find a good example on another cadaver.
Additional stuctures you should clean in the male are:
