Abstract
Study of the anatomy of the orbit is paramount for surgical planning. The orbit is a bony cavity in the shape of a quadrangular pyramid pointing posteriorly. It is formed by seven bones joined by tight sutures. It has posterior openings to the cranial cavity and to the infratemporal fossa. These openings serve as passage for the neural and vascular contents of the orbit. There are three main arteries in the orbit: the ophthalmic artery, the infraorbital artery, and the orbital branch of the middle meningeal artery. The optic nerve and the eyeball are the central elements of the orbit. The oculomotor muscles form a conical structure attached to the orbital apex in the common annular tendon. They are innervated by the III, IV, and VI cranial nerves. There are also sensitive branches of the trigeminal nerve and sympathetic fibers for the eyeball and the lacrimal glands. The orbital fat cushions the eyeball and allows the stretching of the oculomotor muscles. The periorbita is a fibrous membrane that contains all the structures in the orbit together with the orbital septum that closes the orbital opening.
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Acknowledgments
Prof Rosa Mirapeix PhD. Unit of anatomy and Human Embriology. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Spain.
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Massegur, H., Gras-Cabrerizo, JR., García-Lorenzo, J. (2019). Orbital Anatomy. In: Cohen, A., Burkat, C. (eds) Oculofacial, Orbital, and Lacrimal Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14092-2_51
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14092-2_51
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