Pyramidalis muscle

Pyramidalis muscle
Muscles at the front of the abdomen, showing the pyramidalis at the bottom centre.
Details
Origin	Pubic symphysis and pubic crest
Insertion	Linea alba
Artery	Inferior and superior epigastric arteries
Nerve	Subcostal nerve (T12)
Actions	Tensing the linea alba
Identifiers
Latin	musculus pyramidalis
TA98	A04.5.01.007
TA2	2363
FMA	15568
Anatomical terms of muscle [edit on Wikidata]

The pyramidalis muscle is a small triangular muscle, anterior to the rectus abdominis muscle, and contained in the rectus sheath.

The pyramidalis muscle is part of the anterior abdominal wall.^[1] Inferiorly, the pyramidalis muscle attaches to the pelvis in two places: the pubic symphysis and pubic crest, arising by tendinous fibers from the anterior part of the pubis and the anterior pubic ligament.

Superiorly, the fleshy portion of the pyramidalis muscle passes upward, diminishing in size as it ascends, and ends by a pointed extremity which is inserted into the linea alba, midway between the umbilicus and pubis.^{[citation needed]}

The pyramidalis muscle is innervated by the ventral portion of T12.

The inferior and superior epigastric arteries supply blood to the pyramidalis muscle.^{[citation needed]}

The pyramidalis muscle is present in 80% of human population.^{[2][unreliable source?]} It may be absent on one or both sides; the lower end of the rectus then becomes proportionately increased in size.

Occasionally, it is doubled on one side, and the muscles of the two sides are sometimes of unequal size.^{[citation needed]} It may also extend higher than the usual level.^{[citation needed]}

The pyramidalis muscle tenses the linea alba when contracting.^{[citation needed]}

While making the longitudinal incision for a classical caesarean section, the pyramidalis muscle is used to determine midline and location of the linea alba.^{[citation needed]}

• 
  Right hip bone viewed from outside, showing a small line where the pyramidalis attaches

• Anatomy photo:35:11-0100 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Anterior Abdominal Wall: The Pyramidalis Muscle"
• Anatomy image:7283 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center
• Cross section image: pelvis/pelvis-female-17—Plastination Laboratory at the Medical University of Vienna