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Superior orbital fissure: magnified reference view with a numbered learning marker. The complete original plate is available in the next view.
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Superior orbital fissure

A cleft between greater and lesser sphenoid wings. Connects middle cranial fossa and orbit. Lateral to the optic canal.

Zoom in, then drag to inspect. Keyboard: + / − to zoom, arrows to pan, 0 to reset. Tap the numbered markers to explore parts.

Superior orbital fissure: magnified reference view with a numbered learning marker. The complete original plate is available in the next view.

Image: OpenStax College / university open textbook · Source / original · CC BY 4.0

Numbered markers and focused views are Mediveerse learning overlays; the original reference is linked above.

Superior orbital fissure

Foramina & canals

Superior orbital fissure

STRUCTURE & FUNCTION

Understand what you see.

A cleft between greater and lesser sphenoid wings.

Zoom into the original labels. Practise pointing out each structure, then explain it aloud. Diagrams are teaching references; specimen appearance and slide staining vary.

01 / IDENTIFICATION

How to recognise it.

  1. A cleft between greater and lesser sphenoid wings
  2. Connects middle cranial fossa and orbit
  3. Lateral to the optic canal
02 / KEY STRUCTURES

Point them out.

Tap a number to open its reference, zoom in and locate the structure. Numbers stay the same across views. This key follows landmarks visible in the reference images.

Related features & study points (1)

Additional relations, attachments or microscopic details to revise alongside this plate. These are separate from its numbered image landmarks.

  • Orbital apex
03 / VIVA PRACTICE

Think first. Then reveal.

Say your answer aloud before opening the suggested response.

Examiner-style prompts: identify the structure, explain its relations, then answer the applied follow-up. These are revision questions, not authenticated past papers.

01Identify superior orbital fissure and justify your identification.
SUGGESTED ANSWER

A cleft between greater and lesser sphenoid wings. Connects middle cranial fossa and orbit. Lateral to the optic canal.

02Name the main cranial nerves transmitted.
SUGGESTED ANSWER

III, IV, branches of V1 and VI pass through the fissure; the superior ophthalmic vein also traverses it.

03Does V2 enter the orbit through this fissure?
SUGGESTED ANSWER

V2 leaves the cranial cavity through foramen rotundum; its orbital continuation enters via the inferior orbital fissure.

Read the references.

Credited anatomical plates, microscopy and university teaching references. Individual image credits appear below the viewer. Historical plates can use older terminology; use the lesson text for current names.