The Infraorbital Foramen is Located between Nasospinale and Jugale

Abstract

Identification of the infraorbital foramen (IOF) is important in infraorbital nerve block and the prevention of iatrogenic injury of the infraorbital nerve in maxillofacial surgeries. Though many methods have been proposed for identifying the location of the IOF, numerous inconsistencies exist among them. This study assessed the location of 1272 infraorbital foramina, from crania varied by age, sex, and geographic origin, relative to a midpoint of a line segment spanning from nasospinale to jugale (NS‐J). On average, the midpoint was located 1.92±1.85 mm (mean±SD) from the IOF. Most often, the midpoint was located either directly upon the IOF (Mode=0; 404:1272; 31.8%) or inferior to the IOF (403:1272; 31.7%). The NS‐J midpoint can be used to locate the infraorbital foramen in both females and males of varied geographic populations and ages regardless of craniofacial diversity. The results of this study may aid in the approach to infraorbital nerve block procedures and maxillofacial surgery.Support or Funding InformationWV Research Challenge Fund [HEPC.dsr.17.06] and [HEPC.dsr.14.13]This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.