About Horner's Syndrome

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A man in his mid-fifty’s seeks attention from an eye specialist after experiencing a sever migraine. The man notes his left eyelid drooping, along with a constricted pupil (Beck, 1988, p. 234). The man is later diagnosed with oculosympathetic palsy, also known as Horner’s syndrome (Kanski, 1990, p.65). The main ocular symptoms in Horner’s are a unilateral ptosis and miosis of the effected eye. This syndrome is caused by a disruption of the sympathetic nervous system, and can arise from a multitude of etiologies (Kanski, 1990, p.65). This paper aims to explain and explore the various causes, clinical features, and diagnostic tests an eye-care professional can utilize in diagnosis of Horner’s syndrome.

The sympathetic pathway is a part of the autonomic nervous system and is responsible for preparation of the fight-or-flight response of the body (Remington, 1998, p. 253). The pathway of the sympathetic nervous system originates from the hypothalamus, where it then travels to the lateral gray matter of the spinal chord. The pathway extends from the thoracic to the upper lumbar column segments. The portions of interest responsible for innervation of ocular structures are found in segments T-1 to T-3 (Remington, 1998). The sympathetic nerve fibers that innervate ocular structures are composed of preanglionic fibers and exit the ventral root of the spinal chord, ascending to the superior cervical ganglion. The superior cervical ganglion synapses with postganglionic fibers, which form the sympathetic carotid plexus around the internal carotid artery. The nerve then branches into many routes, with some extensions traveling alongside the trigeminal nerve to ultimately innervate the; iris and ciliary muscles, smooth muscles of the ...

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...xternal to the sympathetic nervous system pathway, like a tumor in which it could be removed.

Works Cited

Beck, R. W. (M.D.),, Smith, C.H. (M.D.). (1988). Neuro-ophthalmology: A problem-oriented approach. United States of America: Little, Brown and Company.

Cogan, D.G. (M.D.). (1972). Neurology of the ocular muscles, (2nd ed.). Illinois: Thomas Books.

Geeraets, W.J. (1976). Ocular syndromes, (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger.

Kanski, J.J., Dafydd, J.T. (1990). The eye in systemic diseases, (2nd ed.). Scotland: Cambus Litho Ltd.

Laskaris, G. (1998). Color atlas of oral diseases, (3rd ed.). Athens: Litsas Medical Publications. Retrieve from http://books.google.ca/books?id=sZLOsiHlwt4C&pg=PA14&dq=facial+hemiatrophy&hl=en&ei=O-vXTrfaIMeBgwewr-z6Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=2&ved=0CDcQ6wEwAQ#v=onepage&q=facial%20hemiatrophy&f=false

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