Indian Journal of Ophthalmology

ARTICLES
Year
: 1973  |  Volume : 21  |  Issue : 4  |  Page : 182--184

The central retinal artery in guinea pig - a histological study


KK Bisaria1, SD Sud2,  
1 Department of Anatomy, King George's Medical College, Lucknow, India
2 Department of Ophthalmology, Rama Krishna Mission Hospital, Lucknow, India

Correspondence Address:
K K Bisaria
Department of Anatomy, King George�SQ�s Medical College, Lucknow
India




How to cite this article:
Bisaria K K, Sud S D. The central retinal artery in guinea pig - a histological study .Indian J Ophthalmol 1973;21:182-184


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Bisaria K K, Sud S D. The central retinal artery in guinea pig - a histological study . Indian J Ophthalmol [serial online] 1973 [cited 2024 Mar 28 ];21:182-184
Available from: https://journals.lww.com/ijo/pages/default.aspx/text.asp?1973/21/4/182/34626


Full Text

 Introduction



There is a very scanty description of the central retinal artery in the guinea pigs (Cavea porcinus) in the literature. In the other rodents like rats (JANES AND BOUNDS, [3] 1965: BISARIA, [1] 1972) and rabbits (MICHAELSON, [4] 1948) this artery has been described in much more details. DUKE-ELDER [2] has only commented that the vessels in the guinea pigs are very minute and extend only a short distance from the disc.

The present study deals with the course and relations of the central retinal artery with the optic nerve.

 Material and Methods



A total number of 20 guinea pigs were taken for the present study. Eyes were enucleated after having killed them by chloroform anaesthesia and were fixed in Bouin's solution. All eye balls with optic nerves were subjected to graded alcohols for dehydration and then to xylol, xylol�paraffin and finally embedded in paraffin. The wax blocks then prepared with tissue well orientiated were cut at 5 micron thickness by a Spencer microtome both longitudinally and transversly. The sections were stained by haematoxylin and eosin only.

 Observations



In all the transverse sections the central retinal artery was observed to lie outside the optic nerve just behind the eye ball. [Figure 1]. Soon it passed through the base of a triangular septa of the optic nerve. It first passed through the middle of the base of the septa [Figure2], and then occupied the mid position of the septa at the level of the scleral foramen. The septa, however, at this level became barrel shaped [Figure 3]. Numerous finer septa were seen emerging from the margin of the main septa and radiated towards the periphery giving it a picture of a tree. The author prefers to give the name of this tree like appearance as arbor-vitae optici.

The presence of arbor vitae at two other sites in humans, in the cerebellum and uterus is well-known.

The central retinal artery was seen in the longitudinal sections as a definite single vessel at the termination of the optic nerve [Figure 4]. The transverse sections at the optic disc showed the presence of parent trunk of the artery dividing into several branches running towards the periphery of the disc [Figure 5]. DUKE�-ELDER, [2] however, stated that the presence of the central retinal artery at the optic disc as a single vessel was a feature of primates and in lower mammals its place was taken up by the ciliary type of vascular system.

 Summary



1. The course and relations of the central retinal artery with the optic nerve in the guinea pigs have been studied.

2. The artery unlike that of Albino rats runs inside a well deve�loped septa from which numerous rays like septa arose and radiated towards the periphery. A new name of arbor vitae optici has been given to this tree like appearance of the optic nerve.

References

1Bisaria, K. K.: Jour. of the All India Ophthalmological Society. (The Editorial Committee), 1972.
2Duke-Elder, S.: The eye in evolution. Vol. 1 p. 479-480. Henry Kimpton. New York, 1958.
3Janes, R. G. and Bounds G. W.: The J. Anat. 76: 357-365, 1955.
4Michaelson, I. C.: Retinal circulation in man and animals. Springfield, Ill, 1959.