[Anomalies of optic nerve excavation: the clinical manifestations and differential diagnosis].

Clinical features, electrophysiological characteristics, neuroradiological symptoms and associations with systemic malformations have been studied in 76 children with abnormalities of the optic nerve excavation: the morning glory syndrome, optic nerve coloboma, and congenital peripapillary staphyloma. Based on the results, the criteria are determined for the differential diagnosis of these optic nerve abnormalities and the hypothesis on their different embryogenesis is confirmed.