The iliac fossa is the broad, smooth concavity on the inner surface of the iliac wing, forming the lateral wall of the greater (false) pelvis. It gives origin to the iliacus muscle and is bounded by the iliac crest above and the arcuate line below.
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| Ossification | Formed by the iliac wing, which ossifies from the iliac primary centre appearing at about the eighth fetal week. |
The iliac fossa is the site of the iliacus and of iliopsoas haematoma, which can follow anticoagulation and compress the femoral nerve. Bone graft can be harvested from the inner table of the ilium through the fossa. In surface anatomy, right iliac fossa pain is a classic feature of appendicitis, although the term then refers to the abdominal region overlying the bone.
Bleeding into the iliacus, often with anticoagulation or haemophilia, causes groin pain and can compress the femoral nerve, weakening knee extension.
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