Trochlea of the superior oblique
Trochlea musculi obliqui superioris
Sensory (eye & ear)Deep musclesHeadLeft and right
View left in 3D View right in 3D
- What it is
- A small U-shaped loop of fibrocartilage attached to the trochlear fossa of the frontal bone, just inside the upper inner orbital rim, lined by a synovial sheath.
- Function
- Acts as a pulley that redirects the pull of the superior oblique tendon backward and outward.
- Size
- ~4-6 mm long; lies about 17 mm medial and 17 mm above the eye centre, just behind the rim.
- Clinical note
- Inflammation here (trochleitis) causes pain at the inner upper corner of the orbit on looking up; the Brown syndrome is a tight tendon-trochlea complex that limits elevation in adduction.