The spectrum in the morphology of the so-called "morning glory disc anomaly"

(What's the story) morning glory? MRI findings in morning glory disc anomaly

PURPOSE

Morning glory disc anomaly (MGDA) is a rare congenital ophthalmologic disorder. Historically it has been diagnosed fundoscopically, with little in the literature regarding its imaging findings. The purpose of this study is to further characterize the orbital and associated intracranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of MGDA in our tertiary pediatric center.

METHODS

A retrospective review was performed of fundoscopically-diagnosed cases of MGDA, that had been referred for MRI. All MRI studies were scrutinized for orbital and other intracranial abnormalities known to occur in association with MGDA.

RESULTS

18 of 19 cases of MGDA showed three characteristic MRI findings: funnel-shaped morphology of the posterior optic disc, abnormal soft tissue associated with the retrobulbar optic nerve, and effacement of adjacent subarachnoid spaces. The ipsilateral (intraorbital) optic nerve was larger in one patient and smaller in six. The ipsilateral optic chiasm was larger in two patients and smaller in one.

CONCLUSION

This study represents a comprehensive radiological-led investigation into MGDA. It describes the most frequently-encountered MRI findings in MGDA and emphasizes the importance of MRI in this cohort, i.e., in distinguishing MGDA from other posterior globe abnormalities, in assessing the visual pathway, and in screening for associated intracranial abnormalities - skull base/cerebral, vascular, and facial. It hypothesizes neurocristopathy as an underlying cause of MGDA and its associations. Caliber abnormalities of the ipsilateral optic nerve and chiasm are a frequent finding in MGDA. Optic pathway enlargement should not be labeled "glioma". (239/250).

Case Report: Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Morning Glory Disc Anomaly

SIGNIFICANCE

Morning glory disc anomaly is a congenital abnormality of the optic disc. Optical coherence tomography angiography shows vascular rarefaction of the superficial and deep capillary plexuses and increased vascularity of the radial peripapillary capillary plexus. We hypothesize that this congestion represents a compensatory mechanism to an abnormal vasculogenesis.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to describe the optic disc vascular alterations occurring at choriocapillaris and retinal vascular plexuses in a patient affected by bilateral morning glory disc anomaly with optical coherence tomography angiography.

CASE REPORT

A 24-year-old white man presented for clinical evaluation to our Department of Ophthalmology (San Raffaele Hospital, Milan) complaining of reduced vision in his left eye. Whereas his right eye was unremarkable (20/20), the visual acuity in the left one was limited to 20/30 Snellen equivalent. Funduscopic examination revealed bilateral funnel-shaped optic disc excavation, with a central mass of glial tissue and straight retinal vessels radially emerging from the disc margin, more evident in the left eye; this presentation was considered compatible with bilateral morning glory disc anomaly. Optical coherence tomography angiography of the optic disc disclosed prominent vascular rarefaction of the peripapillary superficial and deep capillary plexuses and choriocapillaris, with an increased vascularity of the radial peripapillary capillary network.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on these observations, we hypothesize that the congestion of the radial peripapillary capillary plexus might be a compensatory mechanism to the abnormal vasculogenesis occurring in the optic disc of patients affected by morning glory disc anomaly.

Morning Glory Syndrome with Carotid and Middle Cerebral Artery Vasculopathy

PURPOSE

To report a case of incidental asymptomatic atypical morning glory syndrome (MGS) with concomitant ipsilateral carotid and middle cerebral dysgenesis.

CASE REPORT

A 6-year-old child was discovered to have incidental findings of MGS, with atypia. All visual functions were normal including vision and stereopsis. Neuroimaging revealed ipsilateral carotid and middle cerebral vascular narrowing without associated collateral vessels or cerebral ischemia commonly seen in Moyamoya disease. Subsequent annual examinations have been stable, without signs of progression.

CONCLUSIONS

This case demonstrates disparity between structural aberrations and final visual and neurological function and reinforces the association between MGS and intracranial vascular disruption. Full ancillary ophthalmic and neuroimaging studies should be performed in all patients with MGS with interval reassessments, even when the patient is asymptomatic and functionally intact.

Congenital anomalies of the optic nerve

Congenital optic nerve head anomalies are a group of structural malformations of the optic nerve head and surrounding tissues, which may cause congenital visual impairment and blindness. Each entity in this group of optic nerve anomalies has individually become more prevalent as our ability to differentiate between them has improved due to better characterization of cases. Access to better medical technology (e.g., neuroimaging and genetic analysis advances in recent years) has helped to expand our knowledge of these abnormalities. However, visual impairment may not be the only problem in these patients, some of these entities will be related to ophthalmologic, neurologic and systemic features that will help the physician to identify and predict possible outcomes in these patients, which sometimes may be life-threatening. Herein we present helpful hints, associations and management (when plausible) for them.

Evaluation of congenital excavated optic disc anomalies with spectral-domain and swept-source optical coherence tomography

PURPOSE

To investigate the anatomic characteristics of congenital excavated optic disc anomalies by using fundus photography, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).

METHODS

Fourteen eyes from 13 patients with congenital excavated optic disc anomalies underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination that included best-corrected visual acuity evaluation, fundus photography, and SD-OCT. SS-OCT was performed in cases of peripapillary staphyloma cases in which the excavation depth could not be detected with SD-OCT. On the basis of the funduscopic and OCT findings, patients were classified as morning glory syndrome, optic disc coloboma, or peripapillary staphyloma.

RESULTS

Seven eyes with morning glory syndrome were characterized by the presence of the preretinal tractional membrane in front of the excavated optic disc and could be divided into two groups: three eyes without retinal excavation, and four eyes with retinal excavation. Four eyes with optic disc coloboma showed inferiorly decentered scleral excavations with shallow optic disc excavation detectable by SD-OCT. Three eyes with peripapillary staphyloma showed deep excavation, the depth of which could not be detected by SD-OCT. SS-OCT and enhanced depth imaging SD-OCT images focused on the bottom revealed membranous structure at the bottom of the excavation in two cases with peripapillary staphyloma.

CONCLUSIONS

SD-OCT and SS-OCT are helpful for differential diagnosis of excavated optic disc anomalies. Morning glory syndrome, optic disc coloboma, and peripapillary staphyloma were respectively characterized by the presence of a preretinal tractional membrane, inferiorly decentered excavation, and an excavation deeper than that observed in morning glory syndrome and optic disc coloboma.

The optic nerve and visual pathways

We review the clinical examination of the optic disc and assessment of the integrity of the visual pathways: assessment of vision in the infant and child, assessment of disc size and configuration, detection of abnormalities such as cupping or disc swelling and their significance, visual field examination in the child, and the various field defects which result from pathology affecting the visual pathway anywhere along its course. Congenital anomalies of the optic disc, their systemic associations and significance are discussed. We also review the presentation of the visually impaired child, the significance of nystagmus in this context, the differential diagnosis and investigation.

Midline craniofacial defects and morning glory disc anomaly. A distinct clinical entity

A case with a severe midline craniofacial defect, comprising a midline cleft lip and palate with a sphenoethmoidal encephalocele, hypertelorism, bilateral dysplastic optic discs and agenesis of the corpus callosum is described. The optic discs are consistent with the spectrum of appearances seen in the Morning Glory Disc Anomaly (MGDA). This anomaly is usually a uniocular problem that may be rarely associated with craniofacial abnormalities. Despite this range of abnormalities this child was developing well with a specific motor delay at the age of eight months. Cases with similar midline craniofacial abnormalities from the literature are reviewed. This condition appears to be a distinct entity within the spectrum of frontonasal dysplasia.

Update on the morning glory disc anomaly

The morning glory disc anomaly has distinctive clinical characteristics and is important to diagnose correctly so that associated central nervous system and vascular abnormalities are promptly identified and treated. This review covers the ophthalmic findings, clinical features, and histopathologic findings in patients with this rare developmental abnormality. The most common systemic associations are described and reviewed.

Pituitary stalk duplication in association with moya moya disease and bilateral morning glory disc anomaly - broadening the clinical spectrum of midline defects

BACKGROUND

Duplication of the pituitary stalk, morning glory disc anomaly and moya moya are rare malformations. The combination of these findings may be syndromic and may have an underlying genetic etiology.

METHODS

Case report and review of the literature of neurological, ophthalmological, and neuroradiological findings including ophthalmic examination, MRI and MRA.

CASE REPORT

A 2 year-old girl presented with reduced visual acuity and roving eye movements since birth. Ophthalmological workup revealed bilateral morning glory disc anomaly. MRI showed duplication of the pituitary stalk and caudal displacement of the floor of the third ventricle. MRA showed narrowing of the supraclinoid internal carotid arteries with focal narrowing of the proximal middle cerebral arteries consistent with early moya moya disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Review of the literature of pituitary gland duplication and of the combination of morning glory disc anomaly and moya moya disease revealed only one previously reported case. However, the spectrum of this possibly syndromic presentation may be much broader and include various types of anterior midline defects and may have a common underlying genetic cause.

PHACE syndrome: report of a case with a glioma of the anterior skull base and ocular malformations

PHACE syndrome consists of the constellation of manifestations including Posterior fossa anomalies of the brain (most commonly Dandy-Walker malformations), Hemangiomas of the face and scalp, Arterial abnormalities, Cardiac defects, and Eye anomalies. We present the case of a patient who presented with respiratory distress at birth secondary to a large nasal glioma. She was subsequently found to have a ventricular septal defect (VSD), a facial hemangioma, and a malformation of the eye and optic nerve head. The nasal glioma, which extended to the cribriform plate, has not been described in this syndrome. The tumor was resected through a coronal incision, midline nasal bone osteotomy, and a retrograde dissection from the nasal bones to the anterior skull base. Glioma of the skull base is a novel and serious manifestation of this uncommon condition.

Morning glory syndrome: clinical, computerized tomographic, and ultrasonographic findings

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the ophthalmic, radiologic, and ultrasonographic findings in morning glory syndrome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective review of patients' charts.

RESULTS

Twenty-one patients were included. Visual acuity was 20/200 or better in 50% of the eyes. Three eyes developed a retinal detachment. When computerized tomography of the orbit demonstrated peripapillary scleral staphyloma and intraocular calcifications, this correlated with poor visual acuity. Computerized tomography of the brain revealed abnormalities in three asymptomatic patients. B-scan ultrasonography demonstrated retinal tissue overhanging the peripapillary scleral staphyloma.

CONCLUSIONS

Morning glory syndrome has a spectrum of severity, with most patients retaining useful vision. Orbital and cerebral computerized tomography scan as well as B-scan ultrasonography may help with diagnosis and management.

Reversible Carotid Artery Narrowing in Morning Glory Disc Anomaly

A 14-year-old boy with morning glory disc anomaly (MGDA) and normal visual and neurologic function displayed marked carotid artery narrowing on magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). This narrowing disappeared on a follow-up MRA six months later. Optic coherence tomography and scanning laser polarimetry disclosed a normal retinal nerve fiber layer in the eye with MGDA. MGDA has been reported in association with irreversible carotid artery stenosis leading to moya moya disease. This case suggests that mild cases of MGDA may be associated with reversible carotid artery narrowing owing to vasospasm.

[Congenital anomalies of the optic disc associated with moyamoya disease: case report]

Congenital anomalies of the optic disc can be associated with intracranial vascular abnormalities. We report a 9-year old boy with morning glory disc anomaly in one eye and optic disc and infrapapilar choroidal coloboma in the other. His past medical history was remarkable for a transient ischemic attack. A magnetic resonance angiogram of the brain was consistent with moyamoya disease. This case illustrates the important association between optic disc abnormalities and moyamoya disease. Funduscopic examination of suspicious cases can be helpful in establishing the clinical diagnosis. Early identification of the intracranial vascular anomalies may be of help in preventing severe neurological complications.

Morning Glory syndrome. MR imaging

We present two cases of the Morning Glory Syndrome (MGS), with the most detailed MR images to date of this rare congenital optic nerve dysplasia. Though the embryology of this syndrome remains controversial, we feel the MR appearance can be diagnostic of the non-familial syndrome and be reliably distinguished from the similar appearing optic disc coloboma, which may be genetically inherited. MR imaging also allows the most sensitive detection and characterization of any associated intracranial anomalies, thus enabling more accurate determination of prognosis for the patient and their family.

Ocular malformations, moyamoya disease, and midline cranial defects: a distinct syndrome

PURPOSE

To report a 10-year-old girl with developmental anomalies of both optic disks, a chorioretinal coloboma, sphenopharyngeal meningoencephalocele, and moyamoya disease.

METHODS

A full ophthalmologic examination, cranial magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography, and cerebral angiography were performed.

RESULTS

The patient had a morning glory disk anomaly and microphthalmos of the right eye and optic nerve hypoplasia and retinochoroidal coloboma in the left eye. She had a midfacial cleft and an episode of seizures and a stroke. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a sphenopharyngeal meningoencephalocele. Magnetic resonance angiography and cerebral angiography demonstrated a pattern consistent with moyamoya disease.

CONCLUSIONS

This patient had a distinct syndrome of optic disk, retinochoroidal, and carotid circulation anomalies with midline cranial defects. The recognition and treatment of the vascular abnormalities and cranial defects may prevent complications such as strokes that may occur during or after general anesthesia.

Ophthalmoscopic evolution of papillary colobomatous malformations

We describe congenital colobomatous malformations of the optic nerve and the clinical variations and complications that may appear eventually in them. We also present two clinical cases of patients with papillary colobomatous defects where spontaneous variations have been observed throughout their evolution and where the current ophthalmoscopic aspect is completely different from the initial one. Finally, bearing in mind the embryologic origin and histologic structure of these anomalies, we develop a hypothesis that explains the physiopathologic mechanism that causes the clinical changes described in each case.

Congenital optic disk anomalies

Over the past decade, a wealth of information has accumulated pertaining to the diagnosis and management of patients with congenital optic disk anomalies. As new examples of each entity have been detailed, the diagnostic criteria for each anomaly have become more clearly defined. The advent of sophisticated noninvasive neuroimaging techniques has further refined our ability to accurately detect and categorize the associated CNS anomalies that complicate many of these conditions. In light of recent findings, this review will critically examine many of the well-entrenched concepts pertaining to the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of patients with congenital optic disk anomalies. In so doing, it will attempt to dispel some longstanding misconceptions that pervade the literature and obscure our understanding of the pathogenesis, neuroradiological associations, and systemic implications of each anomaly.

The Morning Glory syndrome associated with sphenoethmoidal encephalocele

A 10-month-old infant was referred to the ophthalmic department of the Royal Victoria Hospital for assessment. Pregnancy and delivery had been normal. At birth, cleft lip, cleft palate, hypertelorism and a soft tissue mass in the mouth were noted. At two days of age he developed meningitis, axial computerized tomography showed a sphenoethmoidal encephalocele, and agenesis of the corpus callosum. The basal encephalocele was surgically repaired. On examination in the ophthalmic department he was able to follow a light with the left eye. He perceived light with the right eye but did not follow. There was a manifest right divergent squint, measuring -10 degrees, and a right afferent nerve defect. Examination under anaesthetic was performed. The right fundus showed a Morning Glory syndrome. The disc was pink and deeply excavated, and surrounded by a ring of chorioretinal pigmentary disturbance. There was a central tuft of glial tissue. The left fundus was normal. The association of Morning Glory syndrome and basal encephalocele is rare; four previous cases have been reported. In all patients there were associated mid-facial congenital anomalies such as cleft lip and cleft palate. The presence of a basal encephalocele should be suspected if the Morning Glory syndrome occurs in association with mid-facial congenital anomalies.

Trisomy 4q with morning glory disc anomaly

The authors describe a case of trisomy 4q with a unilateral morning glory disc anomaly, a previously unreported ocular manifestation. Previous ocular involvements are summarized.