title: Abnormal scleral collagen in nanophthalmos. An ultrastructural study.
abstract: Ten patients with bilateral nanophthalmos underwent sclerectomies for uveal effusion. Ultrastructural examination of the sclera revealed abnormal collagen in seven patients. Four showed dramatic fraying of the collagen fibrils into fine filaments 2 to 3 nm in diameter. In three of these cases and three other cases without fraying, there were foci of 10- to 35-nm small collagen fibrils, some appearing to arise by splitting of otherwise normal collagen fibrils. In areas of fraying, elastic fibers were absent. All patients had a wider range of collagen diameters than did control subjects. The youngest patient with fraying also had Hallermann-Streiff syndrome. In three patients, no collagen abnormality was found. The clinical feature correlating best with the presence of abnormal collagen was an extremely small eye, since the three patients without collagen abnormality had the largest eyes (range of anteroposterior diameters, 19.2 to 20.3 mm). Nanophthalmos appears to result from several distinct defects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, State University of New York Health Science Center, Syracuse 13210.
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: B W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Streeten
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Brockhurst
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gass
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003094:Collagen / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008850:Microphthalmos / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012590:Sclera / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen