Terson's syndrome

Abstract

Intravitreal hemorrhage in association with acute intracerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage is called Terson's syndrome, according to the author who first published this entity in 1900. Apart from vitreal hemorrhage, massive intracranial bleedings produce retinal, preretinal and subhyaloid hemorrhages, papilledema, hemorrhages in the optic nerve sheaths and optic nerve, as well as orbital hemorrhages and also bleeding in oculomotor nerves (third nerve, sixth nerve). The pathophysiology of the intraocular hemorrhages as well as of the hemorrhages in the optic nerve sheaths is extensively discussed by means of a careful examination of apathological specimen (globe and optic nerve) of a patient who died because of acute subarachnoid hemorrhage. The favorable results of 14 patients treated with pars plana vitrectomy for vitreous hemorrhage after subarachnoid or intracerebral or sub- resp. epidural bleeding are presented.

Key Words:

• Terson's syndrome
• retinal
• subretinal and vitreous hemorrhages after subarachnoid and/or intracerebral hemorrhages or/cranio-cerebral trauma
• optic sheaths hemorrhages
• saccular aneurysms of the cerebral arteries
• vitrectomy for vitreous hemorrhages after subarachnoid bleeding