Quick Facts
Origin: Ophthalmic artery.
Course: Travels anterior in the orbital cavity and exits via the supraorbital foramen/notch.
Branches: Superficial, deep, and diploic branches.
Supplied Structures: Forehead, muscles of upper orbit, upper eyelid, and frontal sinus.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The supraorbital artery arises from the ophthalmic artery as it passes medially and crosses the optic nerve in the orbital cavity.
Course
The supraorbital artery ascends in the orbital cavity, medial to the superior rectus and levator palpebrae superioris muscles. It then accompanies the supraorbital nerve between the orbital roof and the levator palpebrae superioris muscle. It exits the orbit via the supraorbital foramen/notch.
Branches
The supraorbital artery divides into superficial and deep branches after it emerges from the supraorbital foramen/notch. Additionally, it has a diploic branch at the supraorbital margin.
Supplied Structures
The supraorbital artery supplies the superior rectus and levator palpebrae superioris muscles as it passes over them in the orbit. It also supplies the skin and muscles of the forehead via its superficial and deep branches. The diploic branch of the supraorbital artery supplies the spongy bone of the frontal bone at the supraorbital margin, as well as the frontal sinus (Standring, 2016).
References
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41 edn.: Elsevier Limited.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Supraorbital Artery
The supraorbital artery arises from the ophthalmic artery as it lies medial to the optic nerve and runs medially and superiorly, through the supraorbital foramen, to supply the frontal sinus, levator palpebrae muscle, and skin of the forehead (Behera et al., 2018).
