Anterior ciliary circulation from the horizontal rectus muscles.
OBJECTIVE
To quantify the anterior ciliary arteries that accompany horizontal rectus muscles and to correlate these findings with analysis of arterial cross-sectional area in distal tendons of these muscles.


METHODS
In 31 consecutive patients, previously unoperated horizontal rectus muscles were photographed intraoperatively. Major and minor anterior ciliary arteries (ACAs) were counted from the photographs by a masked independent observer and compared between medial and lateral rectus muscles. Cross sections from medial and lateral rectus muscle resection specimens were stained for elastin to quantify arterial volume in the distal tendons.


RESULTS
Twenty lateral and 22 medial rectus muscles from 31 patients were included. There was no significant difference in the mean number of major anterior ciliary arteries between lateral rectus muscles (2.25 +/- 0.79, range 1-4) and medial rectus muscles (2.05 +/- 0.65, range 1-3) (p = 0.46). The mean number of minor anterior ciliary arteries was 6.7 in both medial and lateral rectus muscles (p = 0.97). Resected rectus muscle tendons showed no significant difference between lateral and medial rectus muscles for arterial vessel number or cross-sectional area.


CONCLUSIONS
These results show the contribution from the lateral rectus muscle to the anterior segment circulation may be more robust than is commonly taught.
Johnson
Matthew S
MS
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0501, USA.
Christiansen
Stephen P
SP
Rath
Pamela P
PP
Watanabe
Todd M
TM
Merten
Greg
G
Bothun
Erick D
ED
Anderson
Jill S
JS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019412:Anatomy, Cross-Sectional; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019842:Ciliary Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009801:Oculomotor Muscles / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery; D010781:Photography; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D055815:Young Adult