Document Detail


The pupil.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  18180650     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To give an overview on topics of pupillary function selected according to their relevance in clinical neurology. Mainly publications of the last 3 years have been considered. RECENT FINDINGS: The discovery of photosensitive retinal ganglion cells not serving vision, but serving circadian rhythm and the pupil initiated many studies. There is evidence that pupil reaction to light might be preserved even if all rods and cones are lost. Spontaneous pupillary contractions in darkness occur in sleepy subjects and have been used to quantify the state of alertness. Apraclonidine eye drops have been suggested to diagnose Horner syndrome. Iatrogenic cause and carotid artery dissection are the most frequently reported underlying causes of Horner syndrome. Anti-Hu antibodies may be associated with tonic pupils. SUMMARY: Pupil studies in blind patients may give new insights into the function of the pupillary system. Testing for sleepiness by means of pupillography might be used more frequently. Testing for Horner syndrome still needs to be done with cocaine eye drops. Clinical evaluation has to be focused on detecting additional signs and symptoms. Unknown malignancy is very rare. In the tonic pupil (Adie syndrome) autoantibodies may play a role, in exceptional cases it might represent a paraneoplastic disorder.
Authors:
Helmut Wilhelm
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Current opinion in neurology     Volume:  21     ISSN:  1350-7540     ISO Abbreviation:  Curr. Opin. Neurol.     Publication Date:  2008 Feb 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2008-01-08     Completed Date:  2008-04-11     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9319162     Medline TA:  Curr Opin Neurol     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  36-42     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Center for Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. helmut.wilhelm@med.uni-tuebingen.de
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adaptation, Ocular / physiology
Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / pharmacology
Animals
Clonidine / analogs & derivatives*,  pharmacology
Humans
Pupil / drug effects,  physiology*
Pupil Disorders / physiopathology
Reflex, Pupillary / drug effects,  physiology*
Retina / cytology,  physiology
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; 4205-90-7/Clonidine; 66711-21-5/apraclonidine

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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