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ITERATURE of recent years reports several works on the clinical use of hypertonic solutions administered by slow intravenous infusion for reduction of intracranial pressure. 3,7-9,~3,19 Among the numerous osmotic agents tested to reduce experimentally induced cerebral edema in the animal, 15 glycerol has proved particularly effective both by intravenous and oral route. TM Considering such experimental results, glycerol has been applied on neurologicalfl ophthalmological 16,17 and, chiefly, neurosurgical 2 patients. Glycerol (1,~,3-propanetriol) is a trivalent alcohol. It is oxidized by the organism through intermediate stages, analogous to those of the carbohydrate-oxidation cycle. As an integral part of fats (glycerides) and phosphatides, glycerol usually is present in the animal tissues at a rate of approximately 1 per cent of body weight. Oxidized to carbon dioxide and water, it produces 4.3~ kg. calories per gm. 6 Such value is slightly greater than that produced by glucose. When larger amounts of glycerol are given, however, the drug is not metabolized completely by the organism since part of it is excreted in the urine.n ,12 Glycerol increases plasmatic concentration. 14 Its mechanism of action, therefore, would be to draw liquids from the tissues, particularly from those more hydrated. At convenient doses, glycerol promotes diuresis; L4,2~ yet diuresis itself does not condition the action of the drug since reduction of intracranial hypertension in the nephrectomized animal did not differ from that obtained in the normal animalY In 19~9, Ferber and Rabinowitsch 5 de

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These experimental data have a diagnostic value in glaucoma, since they show how an intraocular hypertensive response due to ibopamine in normotensive eyes is a sign of initial outflow impairment. Moreover, the possibility to increase the aqueous humor production sets new trends in the treatment of post surgical ocular hypotony.

The favourable neurotrophic effects obtained by means of the intramuscular administration of citicoline, one of the intermediate compounds of phospholipids, on the visual field of patients suffering from open-angle glaucoma are referred. The drug was administered at the dose of 1 gm for ten consecutive days. Visual field was examined by means of central computerized perimetry and automated perimetry. All patients had well controlled intraocular pressure through beta-blockers, but presented characteristic glaucomatous perimetric defects. It is suggested that citicoline might be administered as a useful complement to conventional hypotensive therapy, since it acts positively on the glaucomatous optic nerve damage.