Infra-orbital_groove

Infraorbital groove

Infraorbital groove

Bony groove in the maxilla of the skull

Not to be confused with inferior orbital fissure, infraorbital canal, or infraorbital foramen.

The infraorbital groove (or sulcus) is located in the middle of the posterior part of the orbital surface of the maxilla. Its function is to act as the passage of the infraorbital artery, the infraorbital vein, and the infraorbital nerve.

Quick Facts Details, Part of ...

Structure

The infraorbital groove begins at the middle of the posterior border of the maxilla (with which it is continuous).[1] This is near the upper edge of the infratemporal surface of the maxilla. It passes forward, and ends in a canal which subdivides into two branches.

The infraorbital groove has an average length of 16.7 mm, with a small amount of variation between people.[1] It is similar in men and women.[1]

Function

The infraorbital groove creates space that allows for passage of the infraorbital artery, the infraorbital vein, and the infraorbital nerve.

Clinical significance

The infraorbital groove is an important surgical landmark for local anaesthesia of the infraorbital nerve.[1]

See also

Additional images

  • Horizontal section of nasal and orbital cavities. (Note distinction between infraorbital groove and inferior orbital fissure.)

References

Public domain This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 159 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

  1. [1]
    Hwang, Se Hwan; Kim, Sung Won; Park, Chan Soon; Kim, Soo Whan; Cho, Jin Hee; Kang, Jun Myung (2013-09-01). "Morphometric analysis of the infraorbital groove, canal, and foramen on three-dimensional reconstruction of computed tomography scans". Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy. 35 (7): 565–571. doi:10.1007/s00276-013-1077-5. ISSN 1279-8517.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Infra-orbital_groove, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.