The dorsal nasal artery is an

artery An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pul ...

of the

face The face is the front of an animal's 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 aff ...

. 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 st ...

. 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 the ey ...

, 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 peric ...

). It arises in the superomedial orbit.

Course and relations

It passes anteriorly to exit the orbit between the

trochlea 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 joint, saddle and other joints: * Trochlea of hume ...

(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 maxilla, frontal process of the maxilla, the lacrimal groove, and the Tarsus (eyelids), tarsus of each eyelid. It has a superfic ...

(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 (external maxillary artery in older texts) is a branch of the external carotid artery that supplies structures of the superficial face. Structure The facial artery arises in the carotid triangle from the external carotid arte ...

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