Infraorbital foramen

Infraorbital foramen
File:Gray190.png The skull from the front. (Infraorbital foramen labeled at center right, under the eye.)
File:Gray154.png Articulation of nasal and lacrimal bones with maxilla. (Infraorbital foramen labeled at left.)
Details
Latin	Foramen infraorbitale
Identifiers
TA
TH	{{#property:P1694}}
TE	{{#property:P1693}}
FMA	{{#property:P1402}}
Anatomical terms of bone [[[d:|edit on Wikidata]]]

In human anatomy, the infraorbital foramen (IOF) is an opening in the maxillary bone of the skull located below the infraorbital margin (IOM) of the orbit (eye socket). It allows passage for the infraorbital artery, vein, and nerve which are branches of the maxillary branch (V2) of the trigeminal nerve (CN V). The IOF-IOM distance varies between 6.10 to 10.9 mm (0.240 to 0.429 in). Forming the exterior end of the infraorbital canal, the infraorbital foramen communicates with the infraorbital groove, the canal's opening on the interior side.

The ramifications of the three principal branches of the trigeminal nerve — at the supraorbital, infraorbital, and mental foramina — are distributed on a vertical line (in anterior view) passing through the middle of the pupil. The infraorbital foramina is used as a pressure point to test the sensitivity of the infraorbital nerve. Palpation of the infraorbital foramen during an extraoral examination or an administration of a local anesthetic agent will cause soreness to the area.

See also

• Foramina of the skull

Additional images

A Grizzly bear's skull with the left infraorbital foramina clearly visible  1 Foramen ethmoidale, 2 Canalis opticus, 3 Fissura orbitalis superior, 4 Fossa sacci lacrimalis, 5 Sulcus infraorbitalis, 6 Fissura orbitalis inferior, 7 Foramen infraorbitale

External links

• cranialnerves at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (V)
• Anatomy photo:29:os-0506 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center (closeup)
• Anatomy figure: 22:02-08 at Human Anatomy Online, SUNY Downstate Medical Center (distance)
• Upstate.edu
• Anatomy diagram: 34256.000-1 at Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator, Elsevier