The dorsal nasal 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 one of the two terminal branches of the

ophthalmic artery The ophthalmic artery (OA) is an artery of the head. It is the first branch of the internal carotid artery distal to the cavernous sinus. Branches of the ophthalmic artery supply all the structures in the orbit around the eye, as well as some ...

. It contributes arterial supply to 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 ...

, and outer surface of the nose.

Structure

Origin

The dorsal nasal artery is one of the two terminal branches of the

(the other being the

supratrochlear artery The supratrochlear artery (or frontal artery) is one of the terminal branches of the ophthalmic artery. It arises within the orbit. It exits the orbit alongside the supratrochlear nerve. It contributes arterial supply to the skin, muscles and peri ...

). It arises in the superomedial orbit.

Course and relations

It passes anteriorly to exit the orbit between the

trochlea {{wiktionary Trochlea (Latin for pulley) is a term in anatomy. It refers to a grooved structure reminiscent of a pulley's wheel. Related to joints Most commonly, trochleae bear the articular surface of saddle and other joints: * Trochlea of humeru ...

(superiorly), the

medial palpebral ligament The medial palpebral ligament (medial canthal tendon) is a ligament of the face. It attaches to the frontal process of the maxilla, the lacrimal groove, and the tarsus of each eyelid. It has a superficial (anterior) and a deep (posterior) laye ...

(inferiorly). It gives a branch to the

before bifurcating into two branches: one branch anastomoses with the terminal (angular) part of the

facial artery The facial artery, formerly called the external maxillary artery, is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies blood to superficial structures of the medial regions of the face. Structure The facial artery arises in the carotid t ...

and is important for the blood supply of the

; the other travels along the dorsum of the nose to supply the outer surface of the nose, and forms anastomoses with its contralateral fellow, and with the lateral nasal branch of the

Distribution

The dorsal nasal artery contributes arterial supply to the

, and the outer surface of the nose. In around 20% of individuals, it also supplies the tip of the nose.

References

Arteries of the head and neck {{circulatory-stub Human head and neck Cardiovascular system Otorhinolaryngology