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The ophthalmic artery and its branches, measurements and clinical importance

L'artère ophtalmique et ses branches, mesures et importance clinique

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Summary

Seventy-one Caucasian orbits (36 right, 35 left) were studied by dissection. The diameter of the ophthalmic a. (2 mm from the origin) was 1.54 ± 0.04 mm (male) and 1.31 ± 0.05 mm (female). In individual cases, there were no significant differences in vessel diameter between the right and left sides but, differences in vessel diameter between males and females were more commonly observed in the arteries which leave the orbit (extraorbital group), the individual vessels having a larger diameter in males. The incidence of the ophthalmic a. passing in the orbit medially under the optic n. was 18.6%. The lacrimal a. was observed to arise from the ophthalmic a. in only 82.5% of the cases examined, 15.9% of the cases showed the origin to be at the anastomotic branch of the middle meningeal

Résumé

Soixante et onze orbites de sujets caucasiens (36 droites, 35 gauches) ont été étudiées par dissection. Le diamètre de l'a. ophtalmique (2 mm après l'origine) était de 1,54±0,04 mm (homme) et 1,31±0,05 mm (femme). Dans chaque cas, il n'y avait pas de différence significative dans le diamètre vasculaire entre les côtes droite et gauche, mais des différences de calibre furent plus souvent observées entre hommes et femmes pour les artères qui quittent l'orbite (groupe extra-orbitaire), les vaisseaux ayant un diamètre plus grand chez l'homme. La fréquence d'a. ophtalmique sous-croisant le n. optique était de 18,6%. L'a. lacrymale provenait de l'a. ophtalmique dans seulement 82,5% des cas examinés; dans 15,9% des cas, l'origine était une branche anastomotique de l'a. méningée moyenne.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, University of Würzburg, Koellikerstr. 6, D-8700, Würzburg, Federal Republic of Germany

    J Lang & I Kageyama

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  1. J Lang
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  2. I Kageyama
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This article is dedicated to Pr Dr Hoepke on occasion of his 100th birthday

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Lang, J., Kageyama, I. The ophthalmic artery and its branches, measurements and clinical importance. Surg Radiol Anat 12, 83–90 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01623328

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01623328

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