Unilateral orbitozygomatic muscle in a Brazilian cadaver

The persistence of the orbitozygomatic muscle in a Brazilian cadaver breaks two paradigms of international importance in anatomy; first, by being the only study to be performed on a Brazilian cadaver with this variation and, second, by demonstrating the presence of this muscle in the face of an afrodescendent individual. This was a cadaveric dissection study. The main aim herein was to consider the importance of this finding as a function of its anatomical relationships. Medical awareness of this variation may preclude possible facial injuries during surgical procedures. We believe that such a finding highlights the importance of a solid knowledge of anatomy and its variations for the practice of the different fields of medicine. This study was conducted within the parameters established by the Brazilian legislation covering the use of unclaimed cadavers for teaching purposes or for scientific research.