The anterior lacrimal crest is a bony projection on the frontal process of 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. T ...

. It creates the lateral margin of the lacrimal sac fossa and is continuous with the orbital margin. The

medial palpebral ligament The medial palpebral ligament (medial canthal tendon) is a ligament of the face. It attaches to the frontal process of the maxilla, the lacrimal groove, and the tarsus of each eyelid. It has a superficial (anterior) and a deep (posterior) layer ...

is attached to anterior lacrimal crest. It is an important structure to avoid damaging during

rhinoplasty Rhinoplasty ( grc, ῥίς, rhī́s, nose + grc, πλάσσειν, plássein, to shape), commonly called nose job, medically called nasal reconstruction is a plastic surgery procedure for altering and reconstructing the nose. There are two typ ...

Structure

The anterior lacrimal crest is a bony projection on the frontal process of the

in the

skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...

. It reaches the junction between the maxilla and the

lacrimal bone The lacrimal bone is a small and fragile bone of the facial skeleton; it is roughly the size of the little fingernail. It is situated at the front part of the medial wall of the orbit. It has two surfaces and four borders. Several bony landmarks of ...

. At its junction with the orbital surface is a small tubercle, the lacrimal tubercle, which serves as a guide to the position of 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 ...

. The anterior lacrimal crest is much thicker and stronger than the posterior lacrimal crest. It is one of the thickest parts 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 ...

. It is nearly always quite prominent, whilst the posterior lacrimal crest may be less prominent in some people.

Relations

The lacrimal sac is directly behind the anterior lacrimal crest, which protects it as part of the fossa for the lacrimal sac.

Function

The anterior lacrimal crest is the site of insertion of the

. Some consider this a tendon of the

orbicularis oris muscle In human anatomy, the orbicularis oris muscle is a complex of muscles in the lips that encircles the mouth. It is a sphincter, or circular muscle, but it is actually composed of four independent quadrants that interlace and give only an appearance ...

. The anterior lacrimal crest also protects the

Clinical significance

Avulsion

The anterior lacrimal crest may be vulnerable to an

avulsion fracture An avulsion fracture is a bone fracture which occurs when a fragment of bone tears away from the main mass of bone as a result of physical trauma. This can occur at the ligament by the application of forces external to the body (such as a fa ...

due to its connection to the

Rhinoplasty

The anterior lacrimal crest is vulnerable to damage during

osteotomy An osteotomy is a surgical operation whereby a bone is cut to shorten or lengthen it or to change its alignment. It is sometimes performed to correct a hallux valgus, or to straighten a bone that has healed crookedly following a fracture. It is ...

performed during

, a common

plastic surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...

. It lies approximately 5 mm from the osteotomy incision line.

Additional images

File:Slide2gre.JPG, Cranium. Anterior lacrimal crest.Lacrimal bone.

References

{{Authority control Bones of the head and neck