Lacrimal Bone

Key Features & Anatomical Relations

The lacrimal bones are a pair of small, thin bones found along medial walls of each orbital cavity. They are classified as irregular bones and contribute to the formation of the viscerocranium. Each lacrimal bone includes the following bony features:

- surfaces: medial and lateral surfaces, and anterior, posterior, superior, and inferior borders;

- landmarks: posterior lacrimal crest, lacrimal groove and lacrimal hamulus.

More information regarding these bony features can be found in the Surfaces and Landmarks tabs for this bone.

On its corresponding side, each lacrimal bone is located:

- anterior to the ethmoid bone;

- posterior to a maxilla;

- superior to an inferior nasal concha;

- inferior to the frontal bone.

Each lacrimal bone articulates with the:

- ethmoid bone at a lacrimoethmoidal suture;

- maxilla at a lacrimomaxillary suture;

- inferior nasal concha at a lacrimoconchal suture;

- frontal bone at a frontolacrimal suture.

Ossification

Ossification of each lacrimal bone occurs at one ossification center, which appears in utero during the third month (Standring, 2016).

Variations

In some individuals:

- the shape of the lacrimal bone can vary;

- the lacrimal bone may occasionally present an accessory ossicle (Tubbs, Shoja and Loukas, 2016).

List of Clinical Correlates

- Fracture of lacrimal bone

References

Gharb, B. B., Rampazzo, A., Kutz, J. E., Bright, L., Doumit, G. and Harter, T. B. (2014) 'Vascularization of the facial bones by the facial artery: implications for full face allotransplantation', Plast Reconstr Surg, 133(5), pp. 1153-65.

Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series 41st edn.: Elsevier Limited.

Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M. and Loukas, M. (2016) Bergman's Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation. Wiley.