Quick Facts
Origin: Forehead.
Course: Passes medially above the orbit to join with the supratrochlear vein, forming the angular vein.
Tributaries: Frontal diploic vein; communicates with the superior ophthalmic (via the nasofrontal vein), superficial temporal, and transverse facial veins.
Drainage: Drains the forehead, eyebrow, and upper eyelid.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The supraorbital vein originates on the forehead near the zygomatic process of the frontal bone, from its anastomosis with the branches of the superficial and middle temporal veins.
Course
The supraorbital vein passes medially above the orbital opening, superficial to the frontalis muscle, and joins with the supratrochlear vein near the medial canthus of the eye to form the angular vein.
Tributaries
The supraorbital vein gives off a branch which passes through the supraorbital notch, the nasofrontal vein, which subsequently joins with the superior ophthalmic vein. The supraorbital vein also receives the frontal diploic vein.
Structures Drained
The supraorbital vein drains the forehead, eyebrow, and upper eyelid.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Vein
A venous sinus is a vein with a thin wall of endothelium that is devoid of smooth muscle to regulate its diameter.
