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Inferior phrenic artery: anatomy, location and function

The inferior phrenic arteries supply the undersurface of the diaphragm. They supply the diaphragm and the adrenal glands (superior suprarenal arteries).

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Highlighted in the model: Inferior phrenic artery. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Inferior phrenic artery at a glance

What it is
The inferior phrenic arteries supply the undersurface of the diaphragm.
Location
They arise from the aorta just above the celiac trunk, from the celiac trunk itself or from a common stem; origin varies. They run up and laterally on the underside of the diaphragm. They give superior suprarenal branches.
Function
They supply the diaphragm and the adrenal glands (superior suprarenal arteries).
Body system
Cardiovascular · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA14747 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • The right inferior phrenic artery passes behind the inferior vena cava and the left behind the oesophagus.

Structures next to the inferior phrenic artery

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Inferior phrenic artery (FMA14747). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §20.1 Structure and Function of Blood Vessels. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.