Angular Artery

Description

Running as the terminal continuation of the facial artery, the angular artery ascends along the lateral nose toward the medial canthus, tracking just lateral to the nasal bones and anterior to the maxilla. Its tortuous course is apparent as it passes superiorly beside the nasolabial region, with adjacent facial venous channels and smaller periocular vessels forming a dense vascular network around the orbit. Bony landmarks of the skull, including the orbital rim, nasal aperture, maxilla, and mandible, anchor the vessel’s position in anterior facial topography. No soft tissue obscures the relationships. An angular artery rendering matters because this segment defines a key anastomotic corridor between the external carotid system (via the facial artery) and the internal carotid system (via the dorsal nasal branch of the ophthalmic artery). That connection explains both the brisk bleeding encountered with lacerations near the medial canthus and the safety discussions around dermal filler injection in the nasolabial fold and perinasal region, where retrograde embolization can threaten the central retinal artery. A dangerous neighborhood. Use this asset for head and neck anatomy teaching, facial vascularization plates in surgical texts, and clinical graphics explaining epistaxis, medial canthal trauma, flap design, or aesthetic injection risk mapping for CME materials. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.