Angular Artery, Anterior View

Description

Running superomedial to the orbit, the angular artery is shown as the terminal segment of the facial artery as it ascends along the lateral aspect of the nose toward the medial canthus. Inferiorly, it continues from the facial artery after it crosses the mandible near the anterior border of the masseter, then courses superiorly in the nasolabial region, lying superficial to the facial musculature and adjacent to the angular vein. Near the medial palpebral commissure it approaches the lacrimal sac region and forms key anastomoses with branches of the ophthalmic artery (via the dorsal nasal artery), creating a direct extracranial to intracranial arterial connection. Red arterial channels and blue venous drainage are mapped against the frontal skull, with the orbits, piriform aperture, and maxillary dental arch acting as fixed bony landmarks. Clinically, this view matters because the angular artery marks the transition zone where facial vascularization communicates with the orbit. It is a landmark for safe dissection and flap planning in rhinoplasty, nasolabial fold surgery, and medial canthal procedures, where injury can cause brisk bleeding and compromise perfusion to adjacent skin and eyelid tissues. In aesthetic medicine, filler injection in the nasolabial fold and nasal sidewall carries a known risk of inadvertent intra-arterial injection with retrograde flow into the ophthalmic circulation, potentially leading to retinal ischemia. Small vessel, big consequences. Use this anterior facial vascular illustration for head and neck anatomy teaching, ophthalmic and plastic surgery atlases, and manuscripts addressing facial flap design, epistaxis and periorbital bleeding control, or complication avoidance in dermal filler technique. It also supports radiology and surgical correlation when introducing CT angiography or selective external carotid angiography of the face. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.