Branching Variants of the Infraorbital Nerve

The aim of the present work was to identify variants of the distribution and branching of the infraorbital nerve (ION) in the infraorbital canal. The Vorob’ev macromicroscopic method was used to prepare the heads of 23 people (11 male and 12 female) aged from neonatal to 74 years. The ION could divide into branches at the level of the inferior orbital fissure, at the beginning of the infraorbital groove, the infraorbital canal, the infraorbital foramen, and after emerging from the infraorbital foramen. Some preparations showed accessory infraorbital foramina though which branches of the ION passed. The nerve in 15 preparations consisted of one stem and divided into branches at the infraorbital foramen or 3–6 mm distal to it (magistral branching). Accessory foramina in most cases were round or flattened-round in shape. Data are presented on the different variants of the structure and topography of accessory infraorbital foramina.