Histopathology of Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

Visual improvement with corticosteroid therapy in giant cell arteritis. Report of a large study and review of literature

“…(1) Table 2 shows the ocular ischaemic lesions responsible for the visual loss in the 84 patients (114 eyes); (2) Giant cell arteritis almost invariably causes occlusion of the posterior ciliary artery (PCA), occasionally of the central retinal artery, and rarely of the ophthalmic artery (Spencer & Hoyt 1960;McFaul 1967;Henkind et al 1970;Hayreh 1975;Hayreh et al 1998a); (3) Posterior ciliary arteries are the main source of blood supply to the optic nerve head (Hayreh 1969(Hayreh , 1995(Hayreh , 2000, and their occlusion causes ischaemic damage to the optic nerve head, resulting in A-AION. Histological studies in A-AION (Spencer & Hoyt 1960;McFaul 1967;Henkind et al 1970;MacMichael et al 1972;Hinzpeter & Naumann 1976) have demonstrated infarction of the optic nerve head, involving only a part or the whole of it, depending upon the number of PCAs supplying the optic nerve head and the area supplied by each (Hayreh 1962(Hayreh , 1995(Hayreh , 2001.…”

“…Histological studies in A-AION (Spencer & Hoyt 1960;McFaul 1967;Henkind et al 1970;MacMichael et al 1972;Hinzpeter & Naumann 1976) have demonstrated infarction of the optic nerve head, involving only a part or the whole of it, depending upon the number of PCAs supplying the optic nerve head and the area supplied by each (Hayreh 1962(Hayreh , 1995(Hayreh , 2001. In some eyes, the central retinal artery and the PCA arise by a common trunk from the ophthalmic artery (Hayreh 1962), so that occlusion of their common trunk results in both A-AION and CRAO simultaneously (Hayreh 1974;Hayreh et al 1998a).…”

Evaluation of optic nerve head configuration in various types of optic neuropathy with Heidelberg Retina Tomograph

“…16 However, there was no study quantifying RNFL thinning in NAION until quite recently. Danesh-Meyer et al 17 showed RNFL loss and structurefunction correlation in NAION using scanning laser polarimetry (SLP).…”

Retrobulbar haemodynamics in non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy

“…As initially described by Henkind et al, 2 and recently by Arnold 3 in his excellent review, histopathological examination shows that there is occlusive vasculopathy in the optic nerve microcirculation located primarily in the retrolaminar region of the nerve head in patients with NAION. The first question, then, is ''What is the blood supply to this region?…”