Indirect imaging of the canine optic nerve, using metrizamide (optic thecography)
LeCouteur, R.A.; Scagliotti, R.H.; Beck, K.A.; Holliday, T.A.
American Journal of Veterinary Research 43(8): 1424-1428
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9645 PMID: 7103225 Document Number: 184904
Between the optic nerve and its sheath is a small, CSF-filled space that communicates with the subarachnoid space of the brain. A technique for the radiographic opacification of the optic nerve subarachnoid space following the intrathecal injection of metrizamide was investigated in 8 dogs. The technique enabled indirect visualization of the optic nerves from the optic chiasm to the eyeball and of structures within the subarachnoid basal cisterns of the brain, including the optic chiasm, hypophysis, and blood vessels of the cerebral arterial circle. Displacement and obstruction of the optic nerve subarachnoid space were demonstrated after surgically creating optic nerve lesions to simulate orbital tumors and trauma. The technique was found to be safe, effective, and advantageous over other techniques currently available for the visualization of these structures.