Microanatomy of the Artery of the External Ocular Rectus Muscles: I. Origin of the Rectus Artery

ABSTRACT

Intactness of arterial supplies is necessary for the external ocular muscles to move properly, however the anatomy of the ocular muscular arteries has not been clarified Therefore, 80 orbits of Koreans were dissected under the surgical microscope and the origins of the rectus arteries were observed. The average numbers of the arising site of the artery to the superior rectus, the lateral rectus, the medial rectus, and the inferior rectus were 1.7, 1.2, 2.2 and 1.1, respectively. The superior rectus artery arose from the superolateral muscular artery in 33.3%. The lateral rectus artery arose from the superolateral muscular arterey in 43.8%, from the inferior muscluar artery in 24.8%. The medial rectus artery arose from the inferior muscular artery in 43.1%, from the superomedial musculal artery in 16.8% and from the ophthalmic artery as a solitary branch in 32.9%. The inferior rectus artery arose from the inferior muscular artery in 83.1% and from the inferolateral muscular artery in 13.5%.