Lacrimal Notch Of The Maxilla, Lateral View

Description

Maxilla forms the anterior and inferior boundaries of the orbit, and its lacrimal notch (incisura lacrimalis) appears along the medial orbital margin where the frontal process rises superiorly. In this lateral skull perspective, the notch reads as a semicircular concavity on the maxilla that abuts the lacrimal bone posteriorly, completing the bony fossa for the lacrimal sac at the anteromedial orbit. The anterior lacrimal crest of the maxilla lies immediately anterior to the notch, while the orbital surface of the maxilla extends laterally to the infraorbital margin and floor of the orbit. Small, specific anatomy. Clinically, the lacrimal notch matters because it helps define the nasolacrimal drainage pathway: the lacrimal sac sits in the lacrimal fossa at this junction, then continues inferiorly as the nasolacrimal duct within the nasolacrimal canal toward the inferior meatus of the nasal cavity. Otolaryngology and ophthalmology procedures such as external dacryocystorhinostomy reference the anterior lacrimal crest and adjacent maxillary bone when creating a bony ostium into the nasal cavity, and fractures involving the medial orbital rim can disrupt this region and contribute to epiphora. The fixed lateral view also supports teaching of surface relationships, letting you correlate the lacrimal notch with the orbital rim, the frontal process of the maxilla, and nearby facial skeleton landmarks without the visual noise of deep neurovascular detail. Use this illustration in head and neck anatomy courses when introducing the orbit, lacrimal apparatus, and facial skeleton, or in surgical atlases discussing dacryocystorhinostomy landmarks and medial orbital rim trauma. It also suits radiology teaching files as a labeled companion for CT correlation of the nasolacrimal canal and adjacent maxillary fractures. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.