The angular artery is an

artery An artery () is a blood vessel in humans and most other animals that takes oxygenated blood away from the heart in the systemic circulation to one or more parts of the body. Exceptions that carry deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary arteries in ...

of the

face The face is the front of the head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affect th ...

. It is the terminal part of the facial artery. It ascends to the medial angle of the eye's

orbit In celestial mechanics, an orbit (also known as orbital revolution) is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an ...

. It is accompanied by the angular vein. It ends by anastomosing with the dorsal nasal branch of the ophthalmic artery. It supplies the

lacrimal sac The lacrimal sac or lachrymal sac is the upper dilated end of the nasolacrimal duct, and is lodged in a deep groove formed by the lacrimal bone and frontal process of the maxilla. It connects the lacrimal canaliculi, which drain tears from th ...

, the

orbicularis oculi muscle The orbicularis oculi is a Sphincter, sphincter-like muscle in the face that closes the eyelids. It arises from the nasal part of the frontal bone, from the frontal process of the maxilla in front of the lacrimal groove, and from the anterior surf ...

, and the outer side of the nose.

Structure

The angular artery is the terminal part of the facial artery. It ascends to the medial angle of the eye's

(the medial canthus). It is embedded in the fibers of the angular head of the levator labii superioris muscle. It is accompanied by the angular vein. On the cheek, it distributes branches which anastomose with the infraorbital artery. It ends by anastomosing with the dorsal nasal branch of the ophthalmic artery.

Function

The angular artery supplies the

, most of the outer side of the

nose A nose is a sensory organ and respiratory structure in vertebrates. It consists of a nasal cavity inside the head, and an external nose on the face. The external nose houses the nostrils, or nares, a pair of tubes providing airflow through the ...

, part of the lower eyelid, and the

Clinical significance

The angular artery is important in a nasolabial skin flap for

reconstructive surgery Reconstructive surgery is surgery performed to restore normal appearance and function to body parts malformed by a disease or medical condition. Description Reconstructive surgery is a term with training, clinical, and reimbursement implicat ...

. It can be put at risk during acupuncture of

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

around the inner side of the eye.

Additional images

Image:Lateral head anatomy detail.jpg, Lateral head anatomy detail Image:Head ap anatomy.jpg, Head anatomy anterior view

References

External links

Diagram at stchas.edu
{{Authority control Arteries of the head and neck Human head and neck Otorhinolaryngology Cardiovascular system