[1] It provides an effective anastomosis between these two arteries for the large intestine.

[1] The marginal artery is almost always present, and its absence should be considered a variant.

[1] This means that the inferior mesenteric artery does not have to be re-implanted (re-attached) into the repaired abdominal aorta in abdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

[1] The Arc of Riolan (Riolan's arcade, Arch of Riolan, Haller's anastomosis), also known as the meandering mesenteric artery, is another vascular arcade present in the colonic mesentery that connect the proximal middle colic artery with a branch of the left colic artery.

In the setting of chronic ischemic colitis, both the marginal artery and the meandering mesenteric artery may be enlarged significantly, and may provide significant blood flow to the ischemic colonic segment.