fortification phenomenon


tei·chop·si·a

(tī-kop'sē-ă), The jagged, shimmering visual sensation resembling the fortifications of a walled medieval town; the scintillating scotoma of migraine. Synonym(s): fortification phenomenon [G. teichos, wall, + opsis, vision]
An angled figure near the point of fixation, which gradually spreads and assumes a lateral convex shape with a scintillating edge, leaving a varying amount of scotomata in its wake, which is characteristic of the aura that precedes visual migraines. This phenomenon was also know by the fanciful term, Maginot line pattern, so named for the jagged, slightly off-center lines

fortification phenomenon

'Maginot line' phenomenon Neurology An angulated figure near the point of fixation, which gradually spreads and assumes a lateral convex shape with an angulated scintillating edge, leaving a varying amount of scotomata in its wake. See Classical migraine.