Anterior ethmoidal artery
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At the time the article was created Rusiru Gunawardena had no recorded disclosures.
View Rusiru Gunawardena's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Daniel J Bell had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Daniel J Bell's current disclosures- Anterior ethmoid artery
- Anterior ethmoid arterIes
- Anterior ethmoidal arterIes
The anterior ethmoidal artery is a branch of the ophthalmic artery. It supplies the anterior and middle ethmoidal sinuses, frontal sinus, the lateral nasal wall and the nasal septum (see nasal cavity).
On this page:
Gross anatomy
It traverses the anterior ethmoidal foramen with the anterior ethmoidal nerve (which is the continuation of the nasociliary nerve) before entering the anterior cranial fossa where it gives off meningeal and nasal branches. The nasal branches continue into the nasal cavity to supply the nasal septum where they contribute to the Kiesselbach plexus in addition to supplying the lateral nasal wall.
Radiographic features
The anterior ethmoidal artery is identified via identification of the anterior ethmoidal notch. This notch is reportedly seen in 95-100% of subjects.
Practical points
Location of the anterior ethmoidal artery should be reported by the radiologist on preoperative studies. If the anterior ethmoidal notch is abutting the lateral lamella or the fovea ethmoidalis, the artery is considered protected during functional endoscopic sinus surgery as it is at the level of the skull base. If a supraorbital cell is seen above the anterior ethmoidal notch, or if the artery is located below the skull base, it is considered at risk.
References
- 1. Anatomy of the Human Body. (2000) ISBN: 1587341026 - Google Books
- 2. Mcminn. Last's Anatomy. (2003) ISBN: 9780729537520 - Google Books
- 3. O'Brien W, Hamelin S, Weitzel E. The Preoperative Sinus CT: Avoiding a "CLOSE" Call with Surgical Complications. Radiology. 2016;281(1):10-21. doi:10.1148/radiol.2016152230 - Pubmed
Incoming Links
- Dura mater
- Ethmoidal air cells
- Frontal bone
- Supraorbital air cells
- Arterial supply of the head and neck
- Bulla lamella
- Kiesselbach plexus
- Keros classification of olfactory fossa
- Nasal cavity
- Olfactory fossa
- Frontal sinus
- Functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS)
- Extraconal orbital compartment
- Ophthalmic artery
- Persistent primitive olfactory artery
- Nasal septum
- Anastamoses between internal and external carotid arteries
- Functional endoscopic sinus surgery preoperative variants (mnemonic)
- Anterior ethmoidal notch
- Anterior ethmoidal foramen
Related articles: Anatomy: Head and neck
- skeleton of the head and neck
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cranial vault
- scalp (mnemonic)
- fontanelle
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sutures
- calvarial
- facial
- frontozygomatic suture
- frontomaxillary suture
- frontolacrimal suture
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- temporozygomatic suture
- zygomaticomaxillary suture
- parietotemporal suture (parietomastoid suture)
- occipitotemporal suture (occipitomastoid suture)
- sphenofrontal suture
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- spheno-occipital suture (not a true suture)
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- internasal suture
- basal/internal
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- frontal bone
- temporal bone
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facial bones
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cranial vault
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facial muscles
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buccolabial muscles
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orbicularis oris muscle
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orbicularis oris muscle
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deep spaces of the neck
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arterial supply
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common carotid artery
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- carotid bifurcation
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common carotid artery
- venous drainage
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arterial supply
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cranial nerves
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- optic nerve (CN II)
- oculomotor nerve (CN III)
- trochlear nerve (CN IV)
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trigeminal nerve (CN V) (mnemonic)
- trigeminal ganglion
- ophthalmic division
- maxillary division
- mandibular division
- abducens nerve (CN VI)
- facial nerve (CN VII)
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vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII)
- vestibular ganglion (Scarpa's ganglion)
- glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX)
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ansa cervicalis
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