Supraorbital vein

Vein of the forehead

Supraorbital vein
Veins of the head and neck. (Supraorbital vein visible at upper right.)
The tarsi and their ligaments. Right eye; front view. (Supraorbital vessels labeled at upper right.)
Details
Drains from	forehead
Drains to	angular
Artery	supra-orbital
Identifiers
Latin	vena supraorbitalis
TA98	A12.3.05.021
TA2	4820
FMA	50904
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

The supraorbital vein is a vein of the forehead. It communicates with the frontal branch of the superficial temporal vein. It passes through the supraorbital notch, and merges with the angular vein to form the superior ophthalmic vein. The supraorbital vein helps to drain blood from the forehead, eyebrow, and upper eyelid.

Structure

The supraorbital vein begins on the forehead, where it communicates with the frontal branch of the superficial temporal vein. It runs downward superficial to the frontalis muscle. It merges with the angular vein to form the superior ophthalmic vein.^[1]^[2]

Previous to its junction with the angular vein, it passes through the supraorbital notch into the orbit around the eye.^[1] As this vessel passes through the notch, it receives the frontal diploic vein through a foramen at the bottom of the notch.

Function

The supraorbital vein helps to drain blood from the forehead, eyebrow, and upper eyelid.

Additional images

Bloodvessels of the eyelids, front view.
Lateral head anatomy detail
Head anatomy anterior view

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 645 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

^ ^a ^b Remington, Lee Ann (2012). "11 - Orbital Blood Supply". Clinical Anatomy and Physiology of the Visual System (3rd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. pp. 202–217. doi:10.1016/B978-1-4377-1926-0.10011-6. ISBN 978-1-4377-1926-0.
^ Dutton, Jonathan J. (2010). "3 - Anatomy of the Orbit". Radiology of the Orbit and Visual Pathways. Saunders. pp. 31–39. doi:10.1016/B978-1-4377-1151-6.00003-3. ISBN 978-1-4377-1151-6.

Veins of the head and neck

External jugular

Retromandibular	maxillary pterygoid plexus superficial temporal anterior auricular
Direct	posterior auricular transverse cervical suprascapular anterior jugular jugular venous arch

Internal jugular

Diploic/brain

Cerebral

Superficial:	superior superficial middle inferior inferior anastomotic (Labbé) superior anastomotic (Trolard)
Deep:	great internal basal deep middle superior thalamostriate choroid septal

Cerebellar

Sinuses

To COS	superior sagittal straight inferior sagittal occipital
To CS	sphenoparietal intercavernous superior ophthalmic ethmoidal central retinal nasofrontal vorticose veins inferior ophthalmic
To IJV	sigmoid: transverse petrosquamous superior petrosal inferior petrosal basilar plexus internal auditory veins condylar