The inferior orbital fissure is formed by the
sphenoid bone
The sphenoid bone is an unpaired bone of the neurocranium. It is situated in the middle of the skull towards the front, in front of the basilar part of occipital bone, basilar part of the occipital bone. The sphenoid bone is one of the seven bones ...
and the
maxilla
The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The t ...
. It is located posteriorly along the boundary of the floor and lateral wall of the
orbit
In celestial mechanics, an orbit 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 object or position in space such as a p ...
. It transmits a number of structures, including:
* the
zygomatic branch of the
maxillary nerve
In neuroanatomy, the maxillary nerve (V) is one of the three branches or divisions of the trigeminal nerve, the fifth (CN V) cranial nerve. It comprises the principal functions of sensation from the maxilla, nasal cavity, sinuses, the palate a ...
* the ascending branches from the
pterygopalatine ganglion
The pterygopalatine ganglion (aka Meckel's ganglion, nasal ganglion, or sphenopalatine ganglion) is a parasympathetic ganglion found in the pterygopalatine fossa. It is largely innervated by the greater petrosal nerve (a branch of the facial ne ...
* the
infraorbital vessels
The infraorbital artery is an artery in the head that branches off the maxillary artery, emerging through the infraorbital foramen, just under the orbit of the eye.
Course
The infraorbital artery appears, from its direction, to be the continuatio ...
, which travel down the infraorbital groove into the infraorbital canal and exit through the
infraorbital foramen
In human anatomy, the infraorbital foramen is one of two small holes in the skull's upper jawbone (maxillary bone), located below the eye socket and to the left and right of the nose. Both holes are used for blood vessels and nerves. In anatomica ...
* the inferior division of the
ophthalmic vein
Ophthalmic veins are vein
Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, bot ...
Images
File:Gray189.png, Left infratemporal fossa.
File:Gray191.png, Horizontal section of nasal and orbital cavities.
File:Gray787.png, Dissection showing origins of right ocular muscles, and nerves entering by the superior orbital fissure.
File:Slide2rome.JPG, Inferior orbital fissure.
See also
*
Foramina of skull
This article lists foramina that occur in the human body.
__TOC__
Skull
The human skull has numerous openings (foramina), through which cranial nerves, arteries, veins, and other structures pass. These foramina vary in size and number, with ...
*
Superior orbital fissure
The superior orbital fissure is a foramen or cleft of the skull between the lesser and greater wings of the sphenoid bone. It gives passage to multiple structures, including the oculomotor nerve, trochlear nerve, ophthalmic nerve, abducens ner ...
References
External links
* () (#3)
*
*
{{Authority control
Bones of the head and neck