The Sampson artery runs under the round ligament.

It represents the anastomosis

Anastomosis

An anastomosis is the reconnection of two streams that previously branched out, such as blood vessels or leaf veins. The term is used in medicine, biology, mycology and geology....

 of the uterine artery

Uterine artery

-Structure:The uterine artery usually arises from the anterior division of the internal iliac artery. It travels to the uterus, crossing the ureter anteriorly, reaching the uterus by traveling in the cardinal ligament....

 and ovarian artery

Ovarian artery

In human anatomy, the ovarian artery is a blood vessel that supplies oxygenated blood to the ovary. It arises from the abdominal aorta below the renal artery, and does not pass out of the abdominal cavity. It can be found in the suspensory ligament of the ovary, anterior to the ovarian vein and...

.

It is named for John A. Sampson

John A. Sampson

John Albertson Sampson was a gynecologist who studied endometriosis.Sampson was born near Troy, New York and graduated from Johns Hopkins in 1899. After completing his training in gynecology, he settled in Albany, New York...

.

Clinical significance

It is considered an insignificant artery that is dissected during hysterectomies.

It can be the source of hemoperitoneum

Hemoperitoneum

Hemoperitoneum is the presence of blood in the peritoneal cavity. The blood accumulates in the space between the inner lining of the abdominal wall and the internal abdominal organs. Hemoperitoneum is generally classified as a surgical emergency; in most cases, urgent laparotomy is needed to...

, but only rarely does it pose a hemodynamic risk to the patient if severed and it is easily cauterized or sutured to prevent bleeding.