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Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology pp 1–2Cite as

Superior Transverse Ligament

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Synonyms

Whitnall’s ligament

Definition

The primary suspensory support for the upper lid found at the intersection of the muscular and aponeurotic portions of the levator.

Structure

The superior transverse ligament (STL) is the transition point or fulcrum between the posterior muscular levator palpebrae superioris (LPS) and its anterior extension the levator aponeurosis (LA). The LPS originates in the orbital apex on the small wing of the sphenoid bone. It extends anteriorly to the orbital aperture where it is suspended from the STL. At this transition point to aponeurosis, it becomes thinner and fans out inferiorly in a sheet-like fashion. It extends horizontally forming the medial and lateral horns which attach to their respective canthi. Inferiorly, the LA attaches to the lower one third of the tarsal plate. The muscular portion of the levator is approximately 40 mm long, while the aponeurotic portion is approximately 14–20 mm in length.

Müller’s muscle lies posterior to the levator...

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References

  • American Academy of Ophthalmology (2013) Basic and clinical science course, 2013–2014. Section 7: orbit, eyelids and lacrimal system. American Academy of Ophthalmology, San Francisco, pp 139–140

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  • Anderson RL, Jordan DR, Dutton JJ (1990) Whitnall’s sling for poor function ptosis. Arch Ophthalmol 108:1628–1632

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  • Lim HW, Doo JP, Lee JL (2009) A cadaveric anatomical study of the levator aponeurosis and Whitnall's ligament. Korean J Ophthalmol 23(3):183–187

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  • Nerad JA (2010) Techniques in ophthalmic plastic surgery: a personal tutorial. Saunders Elsevier, Chapter 8, p 202

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  • Whitnall SE (1911) A ligament acting as a check to the action of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle. J Anat Physiol 45(Pt 2):131–139

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Weill Cornell Medical College, 1305 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Kristen E. Dunbar, Ranjodh Singh & Gary J. Lelli

Authors
  1. Kristen E. Dunbar
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  2. Ranjodh Singh
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  3. Gary J. Lelli
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gary J. Lelli .

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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Cite this entry

Dunbar, K.E., Singh, R., Lelli, G.J. (2017). Superior Transverse Ligament. In: Schmidt-Erfurth, U., Kohnen, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_1358-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_1358-1

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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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