Lateral palpebral raphe

Lateral palpebral raphe
The tarsi and their ligaments. Right eye; front view.
Details
Precursor	orbicularis oculi muscle
Identifiers
Latin	raphe palpebralis lateralis
Anatomical terminology [ edit on Wikidata]

The lateral palpebral raphe is a ligamentous band near the eye. Its existence is contentious, and many sources describe it as the continuation of nearby muscles. It is formed from the lateral ends of the orbicularis oculi muscle. It connects the orbicularis oculi muscle, the frontosphenoidal process of the zygomatic bone, and the tarsi of the eyelids.

Structure

The lateral palpebral raphe is formed from the lateral ends of the orbicularis oculi muscle. ^{[1] [2]} It may also be formed from the pretarsal muscles of the eyelids. ^{[3] [4]} It is attached to the margin of the frontosphenoidal process of the zygomatic bone. It passes towards the midline to the lateral commissure of the eyelids. Here, it divides into two slips, which are attached to the margins of the respective tarsi of the eyelids.

The lateral palpebral ligament has a tensile strength of around 12 newtons. ^[1]

Relations

The lateral palpebral raphe is a much weaker structure than the medial palpebral ligament on the other side of the eyelids.

Variation

The lateral palpebral raphe may be absent in some people. ^[2] If it is not present, it is replaced with muscular fibres of orbicularis oculi muscle. ^[2] It is often very hard to identify as a distinct anatomical feature. ^[4] Some sources claim that it does not exist. ^{[2] [5]}

See also

• Orbicularis oculi muscle
• Lateral palpebral commissure

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 381 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

1. Hwang, Kun; Nam, Yong Seok; Kim, Dae Joong; Han, Seung Ho; Hwang, Se Ho (March 2009). "Anatomic Study of the Lateral Palpebral Raphe and Lateral Palpebral Ligament" . Annals of Plastic Surgery. 62 (3): 232–236. doi:10.1097/SAP.0b013e31817f9e90. ISSN   0148-7043. PMID   19240515. S2CID   206034039.
2. Goold, Lucy; Kakizaki, Hirohiko; Malhotra, Raman; Selva, Dinesh (2009). "Absence of lateral palpebral raphe in Caucasians". Clinical Ophthalmology. 3: 391–393. doi: 10.2147/opth.s5975 . ISSN   1177-5467. PMC   2720677 . PMID   19684845.
3. Rosenstein, Tracy; Talebzadeh, Nojan; Pogrel, M. Anthony (2000-01-01). "Anatomy of the lateral canthal tendon" . Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology. 89 (1): 24–28. doi:10.1016/S1079-2104(00)80009-8. ISSN   1079-2104. PMID   10630937.
4. Muzaffar, Arshad R.; Mendelson, Bryan C.; Adams, William P. (20 September 2001). "Surgical Anatomy of the Ligamentous Attachments of the Lower Lid and Lateral Canthus" (PDF). American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
5. Kang, Hyera; Takahashi, Yasuhiro; Ichinose, Akihiro; Nakano, Takashi; Asamoto, Ken; Ikeda, Hiroshi; Iwaki, Masayoshi; Kakizaki, Hirohiko (2012-08-01). "Lateral Canthal Anatomy: A Review" . Orbit. 31 (4): 279–285. doi:10.3109/01676830.2012.694957. ISSN   0167-6830. PMID   22690873. S2CID   19675889.