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Abstract #46602 Published in IGR 13-3
Abnormalities of the optic disc
Sadun AA; Wang MYHandbook of Clinical Neurology 2011; 102: 117-157
The optic disc represents the anterior end of the optic nerve, the most forward extension of the central nervous system (CNS). The optic disc gives a rare glimpse into the CNS. Hence, diseases of the CNS are often manifested on fundus examination. Abnormalities of the optic disc may reflect eye disease (such as glaucoma), problems in development (as in various syndromes), or CNS disease (such as increased intracranial pressure). Each optic nerve is composed of about 1.2 million axons deriving from the retinal ganglion cells of one eye. Optic atrophy is a morphological sequela reflecting the loss of many or all of these axons. Myriad diseases such as hereditary, metabolic, tumor, and increased intracranial pressure can lead to optic atrophy. Some diseases, such as optic disc drusen, intracranial masses, orbital tumors, ischemic optic neuropathies, inflammations, and infiltrations, can produce optic disc edema before leading to optic atrophy. A number of new imaging modalities, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), quantitate the thickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer as an indirect measure of axonal loss or swelling. OCT can therefore be used to quantitate pathology or the response to therapy in various generalized CNS conditions, such as multiple sclerosis.
A.A. Sadun. 1450 San Pablo Street, DEI 5802, Los Angeles, CA 90033-4671, United States.
Classification:
10 Differential diagnosis e.g. anterior and posterior ischemic optic neuropathy
2.14 Optic disc (Part of: 2 Anatomical structures in glaucoma)
