April 2009
Volume 50, Issue 13
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   April 2009
Histotopographical Study of Elastic Fibers With Special Reference to the Pulley System for Extraocular Rectus Muscles
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • H. Osanai
    Department of Anatomy, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
  • G. Murakami
    Iwamizawa Kojinkai Hospital, Iwamizawa, Japan
  • A. Ohtsuka
    Department of Anatomy, Okayama University School of Medicine, Okayama, Japan
  • D. Suzuki
    Department of Anatomy, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
  • T. Nakagawa
    Idai-mae Nakagawa Eye Clinic, Sapporo, Japan
  • H. Tatsumi
    Department of Anatomy, Sapporo Medical University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships  H. Osanai, None; G. Murakami, None; A. Ohtsuka, None; D. Suzuki, None; T. Nakagawa, None; H. Tatsumi, None.
  • Footnotes
    Support  None.
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science April 2009, Vol.50, 655. doi:
  • Views
  • Share
  • Tools
    • Alerts
      ×
      This feature is available to authenticated users only.
      Sign In or Create an Account ×
    • Get Citation

      H. Osanai, G. Murakami, A. Ohtsuka, D. Suzuki, T. Nakagawa, H. Tatsumi; Histotopographical Study of Elastic Fibers With Special Reference to the Pulley System for Extraocular Rectus Muscles. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2009;50(13):655.

      Download citation file:


      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

      ×
  • Supplements
Abstract

Purpose: : To investigate the detailed configuration of the periocular elastic fibers.

Methods: : Semiserial paraffin sections were made using 40 whole orbital contents from 27 elderly cadavers and stained by the aldehyde-fuchsin method.

Results: : Periocular tissues were classified into three types according to directions of the elastic fibers, i.e., tissues containing anteroposteriorly running elastic fibers, those with mediolateral fibers and, those with meshwork of fibers. Anteroposterior elastic fiber-dominant tissue was seen in the upper eyelid and newly defined pulley plate for the medial and lateral recti (MR, LR). In the central part of the inferior rectus pulley, the mediolateral fibers were seen predominantly. In the pulley plates for the MR and LR, anteroposteriorly running fibers encased the striated muscle. Tenon’s capsule and epimysium of the recti were mediolateral fiber-dominant. However, at the entrance of the muscle terminal where Tenon’s capsule reflects and continues to the epimysium, composite elastic fibers provided a meshwork-like skeleton. The elastic mesh was also seen around the lacrimal canaliculi.

Conclusions: : The pulley for the recti seemed to be composed of two parts: 1) a connective tissue plate encasing the recti and 2) specialized Tenon’s capsule at an entrance or porta of the muscle. For both parts, elastic fibers were major functional components. Especially, the anteroposterior elastic fibers in the MR and LR pulley plates seemed to receive anteroposteriorly directed stress and tension from these striated muscles. The elastic interfaces seemed to prevent any concentration of stress that would interfere with periocular striated muscle functions including hypothetical active pulleys.

Keywords: anatomy • extraocular muscles: structure • eye movements 
×
×

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

Sign in or purchase a subscription to access this content. ×

You must be signed into an individual account to use this feature.

×