Latin foramen supraorbitale TA A02.1.03.009 | Dorlands
/Elsevier f_12/12373739 FMA 57412 | |
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The supraorbital foramen is a bony elongated path located above the orbit (eye socket) and under the forehead. The supraorbital foramen lies directly under the eyebrow.
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Structure
The supraorbital foramen arches transversely below the superciliary arches and is the upper part of the margin of the orbit, thin and prominent in its lateral two-thirds, rounded in its medial third, and presenting, at the junction of these two portions, the supraorbital notch or foramen for the supraorbital nerve and vessels (supraorbital artery and supraorbital vein.)
Variation
The Supraorbital notch is a small groove at superior and medial margin of the orbit in the frontal bone. The supraorbital nerve passes through this notch prior to dividing into superficial and deep components that provide sensory innervation to the ipsilateral forehead. The supraorbital nerve is a branch of the frontal nerve arising from the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V). The foramen sits on the inmost, lower margin of a grove splitting the supraorbital ridge into a central and two distal sections.
In vivo, it is often covered with connective tissue to form a supraorbital foramen.