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Rosenmüller, Valve of

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Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology

  • 28 Accesses

Synonyms

Rosenmüller fold; Valve of Hanske

Definition

The valve of Rosenmüller is not a true valve, but rather a mucosal fold at the juncture of the common canaliculus and the lacrimal sac. It separates the palpebral portion of the lacrimal drainage system from the lacrimal sac and nasolacrimal duct. The valve of Rosenmüller is named after the German anatomist, Johann Christian Rosenmüller (May 25, 1771–February 28, 1820), who first described the structure.

Structure

The valve of Rosenmüller is a mucosal fold at the juncture of the common lacrimal canaliculus and the superior aspect of the lacrimal sac (Fig. 1). According to cadaveric studies, there is a consistent pattern of angulation within the canalicular system. The canaliculi bend first posteriorly as they travel behind the medial canthal tendon and then bend anteriorly at an acute angle to enter the lacrimal sac (Tucker et al. 1996). This pattern of bending is consistently observed in a majority of specimens, and a mucosal fold...

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References

  • American Academy of Ophthalmology (2015) Orbit, eyelids and lacrimal system, Basic and clinical science course, 2015–2016. Section 7. American Academy of Ophthalmology, San Francisco, pp 253–254

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  • Cohen AJ, Mercandetti M, Brazzo BG (2014) The lacrimal system: diagnosis, management, and surgery. Springer, New York. pp 9, 11, 46, 53, 55, 101

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  • Schmidt EE (1996) Lids and nasolacrimal system: clinical procedures. Butterworth-Heinemann, Boston

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  • Tucker NA, Tucker SM, Linberg JV (1996) The anatomy of the common canaliculus. Arch Ophthalmol Chic Ill 1960 114(10):1231–1234

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  • Zoumalan CI, Joseph JM, Lelli GJ, Segal KL, Adeleye A, Kazim M et al (2011) Evaluation of the canalicular entrance into the lacrimal sac: an anatomical study. Ophthal Plast Reconstr Surg 27(4):298–303

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Alexander Port & Gary Lelli

Authors
  1. Alexander Port
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  2. Gary Lelli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alexander Port .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Medical University of Wien Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Wien, Austria

    Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main Department of Ophthalmology, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Thomas Kohnen

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Port, A., Lelli, G. (2017). Rosenmüller, Valve of. In: Schmidt-Erfurth, U., Kohnen, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_1318-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_1318-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-35951-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35951-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

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