Supraorbital foramen


The supraorbital foramen, is a bony elongated opening located above the orbit and under the forehead. The supraorbital foramen lies directly under the eyebrow. Sometimes this foramen is incomplete and is then known as the supraorbital notch.

Structure

The supraorbital foramen arches transversely below the superciliary arches and is the upper part of the brow ridge, thin and prominent in its lateral two-thirds, rounded in its medial third, and presenting, at the junction of these two portions, the supraorbital foramen or notch for the supraorbital nerve and vessels

Variation

The supraorbital foramen 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. The foramen sits on the inmost, lower margin of a groove splitting the supraorbital ridge into a central and two distal sections.

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