Lateral palpebral raphe
{{Short description|Ligamentous band at the lateral edge of the eyelids}}
{{Infobox anatomy
| Name = Lateral palpebral raphe
| Latin = raphe palpebralis lateralis
| Image = Gray894.png
| Caption = The tarsi and their ligaments. Right eye; front view.
| Image2 =
| Caption2 =
| Precursor =orbicularis oculi muscle
| System =
| Artery =
| Vein =
| Nerve =
| Lymph =
}}
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.{{Cite journal|last1=Hwang|first1=Kun|last2=Nam|first2=Yong Seok|last3=Kim|first3=Dae Joong|last4=Han|first4=Seung Ho|last5=Hwang|first5=Se Ho|date=March 2009|title=Anatomic Study of the Lateral Palpebral Raphe and Lateral Palpebral Ligament|url=https://journals.lww.com/annalsplasticsurgery/Abstract/2009/03000/Anatomic_Study_of_the_Lateral_Palpebral_Raphe_and.5.aspx|journal=Annals of Plastic Surgery|language=en-US|volume=62|issue=3|pages=232–236|doi=10.1097/SAP.0b013e31817f9e90|pmid=19240515|s2cid=206034039|issn=0148-7043|url-access=subscription}}{{Cite journal|last1=Goold|first1=Lucy|last2=Kakizaki|first2=Hirohiko|last3=Malhotra|first3=Raman|last4=Selva|first4=Dinesh|date=2009|title=Absence of lateral palpebral raphe in Caucasians|journal=Clinical Ophthalmology|volume=3|pages=391–393|doi=10.2147/opth.s5975|issn=1177-5467|pmc=2720677|pmid=19684845 |doi-access=free }} It may also be formed from the pretarsal muscles of the eyelids.{{Cite journal|last1=Rosenstein|first1=Tracy|last2=Talebzadeh|first2=Nojan|last3=Pogrel|first3=M. Anthony|date=2000-01-01|title=Anatomy of the lateral canthal tendon|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1079210400800098|journal=Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology|language=en|volume=89|issue=1|pages=24–28|doi=10.1016/S1079-2104(00)80009-8|pmid=10630937|issn=1079-2104|url-access=subscription}}{{Cite journal|last1=Muzaffar|first1=Arshad R.|last2=Mendelson|first2=Bryan C.|last3=Adams|first3=William P.|date=20 September 2001|title=Surgical Anatomy of the Ligamentous Attachments of the Lower Lid and Lateral Canthus|url=https://bmendelson.com.au/wp-content/themes/BM/pdf/(2002)%20LIGAMENTOUS%20ATTCHMENTS%20OF%20LOWER%20LID.pdf|journal=American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery|language=en}} 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.
= 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. If it is not present, it is replaced with muscular fibres of orbicularis oculi muscle. It is often very hard to identify as a distinct anatomical feature. Some sources claim that it does not exist.{{Cite journal|last1=Kang|first1=Hyera|last2=Takahashi|first2=Yasuhiro|last3=Ichinose|first3=Akihiro|last4=Nakano|first4=Takashi|last5=Asamoto|first5=Ken|last6=Ikeda|first6=Hiroshi|last7=Iwaki|first7=Masayoshi|last8=Kakizaki|first8=Hirohiko|date=2012-08-01|title=Lateral Canthal Anatomy: A Review|url=https://doi.org/10.3109/01676830.2012.694957|journal=Orbit|volume=31|issue=4|pages=279–285|doi=10.3109/01676830.2012.694957|issn=0167-6830|pmid=22690873|s2cid=19675889|url-access=subscription}}