Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 21, 2025
Assessment of Vascular Regeneration in the CNS Using the Mouse Retina
Published on: June 23, 2014
THE RETINAL DEEP CAPILLARY PLEXUS AS A VENOUS OUTFLOW SYSTEM: INSIGHTS FROM STURGE-WEBER SYNDROME
Aristomenis Thanos1,2, Jonathan Young3, Brad Fortune2
1Department of Vitreo-Retina and Ocular Oncology, Legacy Devers Eye Institute, Portland, Oregon.
Purpose:
To report on the venous abnormalities of a patient with Sturge-Weber syndrome.
Method:
Case report.
Patient:
A 29-year-old woman with a history of Sturge-Weber syndrome since infancy was referred for evaluation of possible diffuse choroidal hemangioma. Multimodal imaging, including ultra-widefield fluorescein, indocyanine green, and optical coherence tomography angiography, was performed.
Results:
Dilated fundus examination was remarkable for increased cupping of the optic disk in the right eye, venous tortuosity, and marked dilation of the choroidal vessels. Ultra-widefield fluorescein angiography confirmed marked venous tortuosity and dilation, as well as anastomoses of the retinal veins ipsilateral to the port wine stain. Indocyanine green angiography revealed marked engorgement of the vortex veins and choroidal vasculature. Optical coherence tomography angiography revealed dilated vascular channels in the deep capillary plexus that were directly anastomosing to the superficial capillary plexus, but not the intermediate capillary plexus. Engorgement of the ampullae of the deep capillary plexus vortex system was also observed. The normal contralateral eye was used as comparison for all imaging studies.
Conclusion:
These findings support the notion of generalized venous hypertension state in adult eyes with Sturge-Weber syndrome and corroborate previous evidence that the deep capillary plexus acts as a venous outflow system.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Veins of Head and Neck
On the other hand, the vertebral veins, unlike their arterial counterparts, are not primarily responsible for brain drainage. Instead, they drain the cervical vertebrae, spinal cord, and some small...
01:28Sympathetic Pathways: Collateral Ganglia and Adrenal Medulla
Collateral Ganglia
Sympathetic preganglionic axons reach the collateral ganglia along the route of splanchnic nerves. These nerves bypass the sympathetic trunk and communicate with sympathetic postganglionic neurons housed in the prevertebral ganglia. These ganglia supply the organs of the abdominopelvic cavity.
The greater splanchnic nerve, formed by the...
01:11Overview of Systemic Veins
The coronary sinus, the heart's principal vein, resides in the coronary sulcus on the heart's posterior aspect. This broad venous channel receives nearly all venous blood from the myocardium, the heart muscle. It is fed by three primary veins: the great cardiac vein, the...
01:17Veins of Upper Limbs
The deep venous system is primarily composed of the ulnar and radial veins. The ulnar vein, which drains the fingers through the superficial palmar venous arches, and the radial vein, which serves the palms via the deep palmar...