Repair of outer blood-retinal barrier after severe ocular blunt trauma in rabbits

Abstract

Retinal contusion is a leading cause of visual loss in ocular blunt trauma. However, its pathogenesis remains controversial. We established a rabbit model of severe retinal contusion with energy of about 2.87 J. Typical retinal edema and sometimes subretinal hemorrhage reproducibly occurred at the posterior pole after injury. These subsided 1 week later with depigmentation in the lesion. Histopathological examination revealed severe damage of the outer layer of retina, for example, disruption of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptors. Electroretinography showed a decrease in the b wave by 38-47% in amplitudes (P < 0.01) during the first 3 days and then returned, although not to normal level. To investigate the damage and repair of blood-retinal barrier (BRB), 5 ml 2% lanthanum solution (La) was injected via the common carotid artery 1-2 min before enucleation. La diffused in the interphotoreceptor space through the damaged junctions of RPE 1 h-3 days after injury. La also reached the nuclei level of photoreceptors up to 14 days after injury. Although a glial scar with scattered RPE cells attached to Bruch's membrane in the severely damage area, no La diffusion was found in the retina 4 weeks after trauma. These results showed incomplete repair of outer BRB after severe blunt trauma.

A case of commotio retinae following champagne cork injury

“…The transformation of commotio retinae from transient grey‐white retinal colouration to opacification is typically seen. Several theories have attempted to explain the pathogenesis of commotio retinae, which include extracellular oedema, glial swelling and intracellular oedema . Based on histologic and OCT findings, the most widely accepted mechanism is retinal pigment epithelial and photoreceptor inner and outer segment (IS/OS) disruption and damage .…”

Perfil clínico e eletrorretinográfico da comoção retiniana

“…Esses achados são idênticos aos de estudo anterior que descreve OCT em um paciente com comoção retiniana (34) . Este vazio pode ser a tradução óptica da classicamente descrita disrupção da camada externa dos fotorreceptores (13)(14)(15)35) .…”

Localized vitreous adhesion to the retina after ocular contusion with a baseball

“…Commotio retinae is reported to be the result of swelling of the axons of photoreceptors, Müller cell processes, and the inner and outer segments of photoreceptors 1. With severe blunt trauma, several histological changes may be found, including the disruption of photoreceptors and the retinal pigment epithelium, as well as the breakdown of the outer blood–retinal barrier 2. Fundus imaging may show relatively common manifestations, such as finely stippled pigmentary alterations3,4 or retinitis pigmentosa-like picture 5–7.…”