Corpus: Angular vein

The angular vein is formed by the merging of the frontal vein and the supraorbital vein.

The angular vein descends obliquely along the nasal root to the lower edge of the orbit, where it becomes known as the facial vein. It receives blood from the external nasal vein (from the nasal wing) and the palpebral veins (from the eyelids). It also connects with the superior ophthalmic vein through the nasofrontal vein. This connection creates a clinically significant pathway between the facial vein and the cavernous sinus.

Through the anastomoses of the angular vein with the superior ophthalmic vein, infections in the facial area (e.g. a boil) can spread into the cavernous sinus. The resulting septic cavernous sinus thrombosis was a fatal complication in the pre-antibiotic era.