Pattern of axonal loss in longstanding papilledema due to idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

There is both clinical and histopathologic evidence for peripheral visual field loss and optic nerve degeneration in longstanding papilledema due to idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). The purpose of this study was to look at the extent and distribution of axonal dropout in secondary optic atrophy due to IIH. Both optic nerves from a 29-year-old man with a two year history of IIH were examined histologically and morphometrically.

Optic nerve morphometry following axonal degeneration from SAIDS in rhesus monkeys.

In order to further study AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) related neuropathologic findings, specifically progressive diffuse leuko-encephalopathy (PDL) and optic neuropathy, ten macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), observed for varying periods, and then sacrificed and tissue prepared for analysis. A marked difference from human AIDS pathology was found: in all monkeys, there was significant peripheral axonal dropout, as opposed to relatively little dropout in the central areas of the nerves (t stat. = -5.