Elastic Fibers in Orbital Septum.

PURPOSE: To examine microscopically the nature of the elastic fibers of the orbital septum in elderly specimens in comparison with the young specimen.

METHODS

Histological evaluation of 15 tissues of the orbital septa from upper eyelid (8 right, 7 left) from 11 Japanese cadavers (age range: 36-94 years old, average: 75.5) was performed. The 36-year-old specimen was the only sample with a young age, so it was used as the reference. The age range of the other specimens was, therefore, from 54 to 94, with an average of 79.4 years old. The specimens were fixed in 10% formalin and stained with Elastica van Gieson.

RESULTS

Elastic fibers in the orbital septa were stained with Elastica van Gieson. The elastic fibers from the elderly specimens illustrated fragmentation, but those from the 36-year-old specimen showed flexibility.

CONCLUSION

The elastic fibers in older specimens underwent fragmentation, while those in the young one were flexible.