CLINICAL-EVALUATION OF POSTERIOR EMBRYOTOXON IN ONE INSTITUTION

To elucidate the pathogenesis of posterior embryotoxon, we estimated i ts incidence in our clinic and evaluated its associated ocular and sys temic anomalies. Slit-lamp and gonioscopic examinations were performed on 440 randomly selected patients at Nagoya City University Hospital over a 10-month period. Posterior embryotoxon was detected in 107, 50 bilateral and 57 unilateral, cases (24.3%). Twelve (11.2%) of the 107 cases had open-angle glaucoma. Accompanying ocular anomalies included six cases of sclerocornea, two each of persistent pupillary membrane a nd familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, and 1 each of melanocytoma of the optic nervehead, choroidal nevus and subconjunctival dermoid cyst . Associated systemic anomalies included three cases of Alagille syndr ome, two of congenital biliary atresia, and one each of congenital fac ial palsy with microtia, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, empty sella s yndrome, Hirschsprung disease and Wilson disease. Many of these ocular and systemic anomalies were caused by the maldevelopment of neural cr est cells. Patients with posterior embryotoxon should be examined for the possible presence of open-angle glucoma and for ocular and systemi c anomalies related to maldevelopment of neural crest cells. (C) 1997 Japanese Ophthalmological Society.