Biomaterial Database

The pathogenesis of glaucoma in Sturge-Weber syndrome. 1978

C D Phelps

What is the cause of glaucoma in Sturge-Weber syndrome? Looking for the answer to this puzzling question, we examined 21 patients with the disease. Sixteen patients had gglaucoma: three bilateral and 13 unilateral. Episcleral hemangiomas were visible in all glaucomatous eyes. In general, the more extensive the hemangioma, the more severe was the glaucoma. During gonioscopy, blood could easily be made to reflux into Schlemm's canal of glaucomatous eyes. Often the canal separated into multiple fine channels. Episcleral venous pressure, which we measured in 11 patients, was high in all glaucomatous eyes. These observations suggest that glaucoma in Sturge-Weber syndrome is caused by elevated episcleral venous pressure. Most likely, veins draining aqueous from the canal of Schlemm are part of an intrascleral or episcleral hemangioma. The canal of Schlemm itself may be part of the hemangioma. Arteriovenous shunts in the hemangioma raise episcleral venous pressure, which in turn elevates intraocular pressure.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007429	Intraocular Pressure	The pressure of the fluids in the eye.	Ocular Tension,Intraocular Pressures,Ocular Tensions,Pressure, Intraocular,Pressures, Intraocular,Tension, Ocular,Tensions, Ocular
D008297	Male		Males
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D005134	Eye Neoplasms	Tumors or cancer of the EYE.	Cancer of Eye,Eye Cancer,Cancer of the Eye,Neoplasms, Eye,Cancer, Eye,Cancers, Eye,Eye Cancers,Eye Neoplasm,Neoplasm, Eye
D005901	Glaucoma	An ocular disease, occurring in many forms, having as its primary characteristics an unstable or a sustained increase in the intraocular pressure which the eye cannot withstand without damage to its structure or impairment of its function. The consequences of the increased pressure may be manifested in a variety of symptoms, depending upon type and severity, such as excavation of the optic disk, hardness of the eyeball, corneal anesthesia, reduced visual acuity, seeing of colored halos around lights, disturbed dark adaptation, visual field defects, and headaches. (Dictionary of Visual Science, 4th ed)	Glaucomas
D006068	Gonioscopy	Examination of the angle of the anterior chamber of the eye with a specialized optical instrument (gonioscope) or a contact prism lens.	Gonioscopies
D006391	Hemangioma	A vascular anomaly due to proliferation of BLOOD VESSELS that forms a tumor-like mass. The common types involve CAPILLARIES and VEINS. It can occur anywhere in the body but is most frequently noticed in the SKIN and SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE. (from Stedman, 27th ed, 2000)	Angioma,Chorioangioma,Hemangioma, Histiocytoid,Hemangioma, Intramuscular,Chorangioma,Chorangiomas,Chorioangiomas,Hemangiomas,Hemangiomas, Histiocytoid,Hemangiomas, Intramuscular,Histiocytoid Hemangioma,Histiocytoid Hemangiomas,Intramuscular Hemangioma,Intramuscular Hemangiomas
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293	Adolescent	A person 13 to 18 years of age.	Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000798	Angiomatosis	A condition with multiple tumor-like lesions caused either by congenital or developmental malformations of BLOOD VESSELS, or reactive vascular proliferations, such as in bacillary angiomatosis. Angiomatosis is considered non-neoplastic.	Angiomatoses