Blood vessels of the ciliary ganglion in man.

Abstract

Many authors, including Egorov (i 886), Beauvieux and Dupas (I 926), Winckler (I 93 I) Christensen (1936), Kurus (1956), and Grimes and von Sallmann (i960), have made anatomical and histological studies of the ciliary ganglion in man and various animals. They have given detailed descriptions of its macroscopical, topographical, and cytological properties, but without mentioning the blood supply. Only Kuznetsova (I963) has studied the vascular system of the ciliary ganglion in human foetuses and neonates. The present communication treats this subject in more detail, with special reference to an earlier study of the vascularization of the ciliary ganglion in the rhesus monkey (Eliskova, I 969). Material and methodsEighteen human orbits, four of them foetal, were studied. After the introduction of a cannula into the internal carotid artery, the arterial network was injected, first with a mixture of Indian ink and i o per cent. gelatin and then, after the dye had appeared in the conjunctival vessels, with another mixture consisting of barium and minium suspended in 7 per cent. gelatin. This was followed by an injection of IO per cent. formalin into the retrobulbar space. After the substance injected into the arteries had solidified, the orbit was exenterated and its contents fixed in io per cent. formalin. The vessels were traced under the binocular dissecting microscope, special attention being paid to the blood supply to and drainage from the ciliary ganglion. Four specimens of orbital contents were prepared for histological examination by serial sections in the sagittal and frontal planes and staining with Masson's trichome. ObservationsThe ciliary ganglion is a flat or lenticular organ with a medial and lateral surface, orientated in a sagittal plane, in close proximity to the ophthalmic artery (Fig. i) and lying just below its lower circumference and lateral to the optic nerve. Anteriorly, it may extend as far as the site where the artery bends to run across the nerve. Only in one case, in which the ophthalmic artery crossed the lower surface of the optic nerve, did the ganglion reach this angle. (However, this may be regarded as a variation in the course of the artery rather than as a variation in the position of the ganglion.) In six cases, the medial surface of the ganglion touched the posterior branches of the opthalmic artery, the central artery of the retina, and the posterior lateral ciliary artery.The ciliary ganglion is supplied with blood by one to four branches of neighbouring arteries. This was the posterior lateral ciliary artery (in eleven cases), the trunk of the

Tonic pupil with giant cell arteritis.

“…30 The ganglion is supplied by one to 4 branches from neighbouring arteries, which include the posterior lateral ciliary artery (11 cases); the trunk of the lateral muscular artery, its small branches supplying the lateral and inferior rectus muscles (11 cases); special branches of the ophthalmic artery which supply blood to the retrobulbar space (7 cases); the central retinal artery (3 cases); and the vascular network of the optic nerve (2 cases).…”

Giant cell arteritis: ophthalmic manifestations of a systemic disease

“…Tonic pupils are a rare complication of GCA as the ciliary ganglion usually has an anastomotic blood supply from between one and four arteries and is based on a network of capillaries ( Figure 3b) [51,52]. Tonic pupils in GCA are characterised by poor pupillary reactivity to light, slow and tonic constriction to a near target (disproportionately better than response to light) and accommodative paresis [53].…”

Morphologic Study of the Blood Vessels of the Superior Cervical Ganglion of the Albino Rat

“…The neurons constituting these ganglia have been described from both light-and electron-microscopic observations [Kuntz, 1953;Barton and Causey, 1958;Pick et al, 1964;Chang, 1976], The major arterial trunks supplying certain autonomic ganglia have been examined [Szabo and Bolonyi, 1955;Eliskova, 1973;Sears et al, 1974] as well as the intraganglionic dis tribution of vessels | Gabella, 1972;Melman, 1973;Menlel, 1976] while the inter face between capillaries and neurons has been largely ignored. This information would be valuable for the following reasons: (1) In many cases of Horner's syndrome, the underlying causes are obscure and may pos sibly be related to vascular problems [Se«rs et al, 1974;Thompson, 1974], (2) Several substances such as alcohol [Rossi et al, 1976] and guanethidine [Holm and Jaul, 1976] have been implicated as a cause of autonomic neuropathies, both experimen tally and clinically.…”