{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,9]],"date-time":"2026-09-09T11:39:13Z","timestamp":1788953953286,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,17]],"date-time":"2024-09-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1726531200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Brain Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: This report aims to supplement the existing knowledge on the inferior oblique muscle. In particular, this study presents detailed anatomical and histological data concerning the muscle\u2019s entry point (or entry zone) of the nerve to the inferior oblique muscle. Particular attention was paid to the topographical relationships of the nerve to the inferior oblique muscle (NTIO), including the location of its entry point to the muscle\u2019s belly and its anatomical variations. Methods: Sixty orbits from cadaveric hemi-heads fixed in 10% formalin were studied. The course of the NTIO was traced along the lateral border of the inferior rectus muscle as far as its entry point to the inferior oblique muscle. Particular attention was paid to the various ways in which the NTIO\u2019s muscular sub-branches penetrated between the fibers of the inferior oblique muscle. Results: Three types of NTIO entries to the inferior oblique muscle\u2019s belly were distinguished. In the most common type (48.3%), the nerve entered the muscle\u2019s inferior (orbital) surface. In the next most common type (36.7%), terminal muscular sub-branches of the NTIO joined the superior (also referred to as ocular or global) surface of the inferior oblique muscle. In the remaining four cases (15%), the terminal sub-branches of the NTIO were divided into two main groups (superior and inferior) that joined both the superior and inferior surfaces of the muscle. Histological examination confirmed that the distal part of the NTIO shows a characteristic arcuate course (angulation) just before reaching the muscle\u2019s belly. The process for splitting and forming separate muscular sub-branches of the NTIO was observed for all the examined histological specimens at the level of the nerve\u2019s angulation. Conclusions: The presented findings enhance the understanding of the anatomical variations and precise distribution of motor sub-branches reaching the inferior oblique muscle, which may deepen anatomical knowledge and potentially enhance the management of ocular motor disorders.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci14090925","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,18]],"date-time":"2024-09-18T01:52:31Z","timestamp":1726624351000},"page":"925","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Anatomical Study of the Inferior Oblique Muscle and Its Innervation: Morphometric Characteristics, Anatomical Variations, and Histological Evaluation of the Nerve to the Inferior Oblique Muscle"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0117-4902","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert","family":"Ha\u0142adaj","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, 81372 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"R. Shane","family":"Tubbs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA"},{"name":"Department of Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA"},{"name":"Department of Structural & Cellular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA"},{"name":"Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA"},{"name":"Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George\u2019s University, St. George 1473, Grenada"},{"name":"Department of Neurosurgery and Ochsner Neuroscience Institute, Ochsner Health System, New Orleans, LA 70433, USA"},{"name":"Brisbane Clinical Neuroscience Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0918-741X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ivan","family":"Varga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University in Bratislava, 81372 Bratislava, Slovakia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Standring, S. 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