left colic artery
The first branch of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) is the left colic artery. The left colic artery supplies blood flow to the distal third of the transverse colon and the entirety of the descending colon. Once diverging from the IMA, the left colic artery runs anterior to the left ureter, left internal spermatic vessels (males), and psoas major before branching into its ascending and descending segments.