title: Morphometric comparison of the human optic nerve fiber with various other human nerve fibers.
abstract: The morphometric characteristics of nerve fibers of the human optic nerve in the chiasmatic region were measured with the combination of an image analyzer and a computer, using the Luxol fast blue-periodic acid-Schiff-hematoxylin discriminative staining method. The mean axonal transverse area of the human optic nerve fibers was 0.644 +/- 0.361 micron 2. Comparison of the size of the axon of the human optic nerve fiber with that of various other human nerves showed optic nerve fibers were definitely thinner than the other nerve fibers, and were surrounded by a thinner myelin sheath. Optic nerves may be more liable to mechanical damage at surgery that previously believed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kunii
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kawamura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001369:Axons / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009897:Optic Chiasm / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012016:Reference Values