Supraorbital Artery

Description

Arising from the ophthalmic artery, the supraorbital artery exits the orbit at the supraorbital notch or foramen along the superior orbital margin of the frontal bone, then courses superiorly within the forehead before turning posteriorly across the calvaria. Pericranial branches spread over the frontal and parietal regions, running superficial to the outer table of the skull and deep to the scalp layers, with paired vessels distributed on either side of the midline. Inferiorly, the bony framework of the cranium and mandible provides orientation, while the cervical vertebrae support the cranial base; in the neck, the common and internal carotid arteries lie medial to the internal jugular veins within the carotid sheath. Color coding separates arteries (red) from veins (blue). Clear and fast to read. Understanding the supraorbital artery’s surface course matters when working in the brow and anterior scalp, where it travels with the supraorbital nerve and can be injured during endoscopic brow lift, frontal craniotomy skin-flap elevation, or laceration repair along the superior orbital rim. Clinicians also rely on this anatomy when planning local flaps and when managing scalp bleeding, since the vessel’s anastomoses with the supratrochlear and superficial temporal systems can sustain brisk hemorrhage or preserve perfusion after partial vessel sacrifice. This view also supports teaching of the transition from intraorbital to extracranial circulation at a named bony landmark. Use this illustration for gross anatomy and head and neck modules, neurosurgical and plastic surgery teaching files, and medical publishing that needs a clean depiction of scalp vascular territories against skeletal landmarks. It also fits patient-education materials for brow procedures where explaining vessel location relative to the supraorbital margin reduces misunderstanding. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.