(What's the story) morning glory? MRI findings in morning glory disc anomaly

Caoilfhionn Ní Leidhin; Jonathan P Erickson; Michael Bynevelt; Geoffrey Lam; Jane H Lock; George Wang; Kshitij Mankad; Ajay Taranath; Michael Mason; Rahul Lakshmanan; Peter Shipman; Richard R Warne

doi:10.1007/s00234-024-03375-2

(What's the story) morning glory? MRI findings in morning glory disc anomaly

Neuroradiology. 2024 May 8. doi: 10.1007/s00234-024-03375-2. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Imaging, Perth Children's Hospital, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia. caoilfhionn.nileidhin@gmail.com.
² Department of Medical Imaging, Perth Children's Hospital, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia.
³ Department of Ophthalmology, Perth Children's Hospital, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia.
⁴ Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
⁵ Department of Paediatric Neuroradiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, England, UK.
⁶ Department of Medical Imaging, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
⁷ Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders (Perron Institute), University of Western Australia Medical School, Perth, WA, Australia.

PMID: 38717474
DOI: 10.1007/s00234-024-03375-2

Abstract

Purpose: Morning glory disc anomaly (MGDA) is a rare congenital ophthalmologic disorder. Historically it has been diagnosed fundoscopically, with little in the literature regarding its imaging findings. The purpose of this study is to further characterize the orbital and associated intracranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of MGDA in our tertiary pediatric center.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed of fundoscopically-diagnosed cases of MGDA, that had been referred for MRI. All MRI studies were scrutinized for orbital and other intracranial abnormalities known to occur in association with MGDA.

Results: 18 of 19 cases of MGDA showed three characteristic MRI findings: funnel-shaped morphology of the posterior optic disc, abnormal soft tissue associated with the retrobulbar optic nerve, and effacement of adjacent subarachnoid spaces. The ipsilateral (intraorbital) optic nerve was larger in one patient and smaller in six. The ipsilateral optic chiasm was larger in two patients and smaller in one.

Conclusion: This study represents a comprehensive radiological-led investigation into MGDA. It describes the most frequently-encountered MRI findings in MGDA and emphasizes the importance of MRI in this cohort, i.e., in distinguishing MGDA from other posterior globe abnormalities, in assessing the visual pathway, and in screening for associated intracranial abnormalities - skull base/cerebral, vascular, and facial. It hypothesizes neurocristopathy as an underlying cause of MGDA and its associations. Caliber abnormalities of the ipsilateral optic nerve and chiasm are a frequent finding in MGDA. Optic pathway enlargement should not be labeled "glioma". (239/250).

Keywords: Glioma; MRI; Morning glory; Optic disc; Optic nerve.