The supraorbital foramen, is a bony elongated opening located above the
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 ...
(eye socket) and under the forehead. It is part of the
frontal bone
In the human skull, the frontal bone or sincipital bone is an unpaired bone which consists of two portions.'' Gray's Anatomy'' (1918) These are the vertically oriented squamous part, and the horizontally oriented orbital part, making up the bo ...
of the
skull
The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate.
In the human, the skull comprises two prominent ...
. The supraorbital foramen lies directly under the
eyebrow
An eyebrow is an area of short hairs above each eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the Supraorbital ridge, brow ridges of some mammals. In humans, eyebrows serve two main functions: first, human communication, communication thro ...
. In some people this foramen is incomplete and is then known as the supraorbital notch.
Structure
The supraorbital foramen is a small groove at superior and medial margin of the orbit in the frontal bone. It is part of the
frontal bone
In the human skull, the frontal bone or sincipital bone is an unpaired bone which consists of two portions.'' Gray's Anatomy'' (1918) These are the vertically oriented squamous part, and the horizontally oriented orbital part, making up the bo ...
of the
skull
The skull, or cranium, is typically a bony enclosure around the brain of a vertebrate. In some fish, and amphibians, the skull is of cartilage. The skull is at the head end of the vertebrate.
In the human, the skull comprises two prominent ...
. It arches transversely below the
superciliary arches and is the upper part of the brow ridge. It is thin and prominent in its lateral two-thirds, but rounded in its medial third. Between these two parts, the
supraorbital nerve
The supraorbital nerve is one of two terminal branches - the other being the supratrochlear nerve - of the frontal nerve (itself a branch of the ophthalmic nerve (CN V1)). It exits the orbit via the supraorbital foramen/notch before splitting ...
, the
supraorbital artery
The supraorbital artery is a branch of the ophthalmic artery. It passes anteriorly within the orbit to exit the orbit through the supraorbital foramen or notch alongside the supraorbital nerve, splitting into two terminal branches which go on to f ...
, and the
supraorbital vein pass. The supraorbital nerve divides into superficial and deep branches after it has left the supraorbital foramen.
Additional images
File:Gray135.png, Frontal bone. Inner surface.
File:Gray1193.svg, Side view of head, showing surface relations of bones.
File:Slide6gre.JPG, Cranium. Supraorbital foramen.
See also
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Foramina of skull
*
Frontal bone
In the human skull, the frontal bone or sincipital bone is an unpaired bone which consists of two portions.'' Gray's Anatomy'' (1918) These are the vertically oriented squamous part, and the horizontally oriented orbital part, making up the bo ...
*
Supraorbital ridge
The brow ridge, or supraorbital ridge known as superciliary arch in medicine, is a bony ridge located above the eye sockets of all primates and some other animals. In humans, the Eyebrow, eyebrows are located on their lower margin.
Structure
The ...
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Foramina of the skull