The aim of this article is to update on anatomical key elements of the orbits in reference
to surgical innovations. This is a selective literature review supplemented with the
personal experience of the authors, using illustrations and photographs of anatomical
dissections. The seven osseous components of the orbit can be conceptualized into
a simple geometrical layout of a four-sided pyramid with the anterior aditus as a
base and the posterior cone as apex. All neurovascular structures pass through bony
openings in the sphenoid bone before diversification in the mid and anterior orbit.
A set of landmarks such as the optic and maxillary strut comes into new focus. Within
the topographical surfaces of the internal orbit the lazy S-shaped floor and the posteromedial
bulge are principal determinants for the ocular globe position. The inferomedial orbital
strut represents a discernible sagittal buttress. The periorbita and orbital soft
tissue contents—extraocular muscles, septae, neurovasculature—are detailed and put
into context with periorbital dissection.
Keywords
anatomy of internal orbit - osseous structures - bony surface contours - periorbita
- extraocular muscles - connective tissue compartments - nerve and vessel supply
