Ask the Expert

Get answers to your Gamma Knife questions.

Note: This is for informational purposes only. Doctors cannot provide a diagnosis or individual treatment advice via e-mail. Please consult your physician about your specific health care concerns.

Please install flash player to see this video.

Optic glioma - Overview

Alternative Names

Glioma - optic; Optic nerve glioma

Definition of Optic glioma:

Gliomas are tumors that grow in various parts of the brain. Optic gliomas can affect:

One or both of the optic nerves, which carry visual information to the brain from each eye
The optic chiasm, the area where the optic nerves cross each other in front of the hypothalamus of the brain

An optic glioma may also grow along with a hypothalamic glioma.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Optic gliomas are rare. The cause of optic gliomas is unknown. Most optic gliomas are slow-growing and non-cancerous (benign) and occur in children, almost always before age 20.

There is a strong association between optic glioma and neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1).

Neurofibromatosis I, enlarged optic foramen

Reviewed last on: 6/10/2008
James R. Mason, MD, Oncologist, Director, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program and Stem Cell Processing Lab, Scripps Clinic, Torrey Pines, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Homes LR, Munzenrider JE, Elner VM, Bardenstein DS, Lichter AS. Eye, orbit, and adnexal structures. In: Abeloff MD, Armitage JO, Niederhuber JE, Kastan MB, McKenna WG, eds. Clinical Oncology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingstone;2004;chap 70.

Olitsky SE, Hug D, Smith LP. Abnormalities of the optic nerve. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. St. Louis, MO: WB Saunders;2007;chap 608.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)