Question:easy
Which of the following is the longest extraocular muscle?
Which of the following is the longest extraocular muscle?
Show Hint
Which muscle threads through the trochlea, gaining extra length?
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Superior rectus (SR)
- Medial rectus (MR)
- Superior oblique (SO)
- Inferior oblique (IO)
Show Solution
The Correct Option is C
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: The clue is in the anatomy of the trochlea. One extraocular muscle has a tendon that loops through this pulley, and that detour adds considerable length to it.
Step 2: That muscle is the superior oblique. Beginning near the orbital apex, its slender belly becomes a tendon that threads the trochlea on the superomedial orbital margin, then reflects backward to insert beneath the superior rectus on the back of the globe.
Step 3: Because both its belly and its reflected tendon contribute to its span, the superior oblique is recognised as the longest and also the thinnest of the ocular muscles, fixing SO as the answer.
Step 4: Contrasting the others, the medial rectus is the thickest and strongest rectus, the inferior oblique is the shortest extraocular muscle, and the superior rectus is a standard length rectus, so none rivals the superior oblique for length.
\[\boxed{\text{Superior oblique (SO)}}\]
Step 2: That muscle is the superior oblique. Beginning near the orbital apex, its slender belly becomes a tendon that threads the trochlea on the superomedial orbital margin, then reflects backward to insert beneath the superior rectus on the back of the globe.
Step 3: Because both its belly and its reflected tendon contribute to its span, the superior oblique is recognised as the longest and also the thinnest of the ocular muscles, fixing SO as the answer.
Step 4: Contrasting the others, the medial rectus is the thickest and strongest rectus, the inferior oblique is the shortest extraocular muscle, and the superior rectus is a standard length rectus, so none rivals the superior oblique for length.
\[\boxed{\text{Superior oblique (SO)}}\]
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