title: Human chorioretinal biopsy under controlled systemic hypotensive anaesthesia.
abstract: This paper describes a simplified technique for biopsy of the retina and choroid which had been used in 5 human volunteers. The biopsy was carried out in 4 immediately before enucleation of an eye for malignant melanoma and in 1 patient who was undergoing trabeculectomy for painful glaucoma associated with retinitis pigmentosa. A combination of intravenous mannitol and transient controlled systemic hypotension, induced under general anaesthesia with intravenous sodium nitroprusside, was used in 3 cases and resulted in no vitreous loss and minimal bleeding. In the 2 cases in which hypotension was not used bleeding was a definite problem, but no vitreous loss was experienced.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods; D002829:Choroid / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007023:Hypotension, Controlled / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery / Q000648:ultrastructure