Bypassing occluded retinal main vessel segments in isolated arterially perfused caprine eyes.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the feasibility of bypassing occluded segments of retinal arterial and venous main vessels in isolated, arterially perfused caprine eyes.


METHODS
Eyecups of isolated caprine eyes were used. From each, the ophthalmic artery was separated and cannulated. Krebs solution was then perfused into the retinal vessel to displace blood via the ophthalmic artery. All microvascular manipulations were performed via an open-sky approach under an operating microscope. A retinal main vessel was blocked by vascular ligation at the site just in advance of the vessel's first branching. Two openings, several millimeters apart, were created by means of vascular punctures into both the main vessel and the branch wall straddling the occlusive site. Catheterization was achieved using a flexible polyimide tube, with each end inserted into the vessel wall opening. A sealed connection between the vessel and tube was obtained by vascular ligation with sutures. Bypassing of the occluded segment of the retinal vessel was thus achieved, and the patency of the vascular bypass confirmed by intravascular staining.


RESULTS
Maneuvering of the retinal vascular bypass was accomplished using a combination of vascular puncturing, catheterization, and ligation. Good results were obtained in 18 of 25 (72%) caprine eyes.


CONCLUSIONS
The feasibility of bypassing an occluded segment of a retinal main vessel was successfully demonstrated in isolated arterially perfused caprine eyes. These in vitro findings may be used as a reference for future experiments in the living eye.
Shen
Li-Jun
LJ
Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, 270 Xue-Yuan West Road, Wen Zhou, Zhe Jiang, China. slj@mail.eye.ac.cn
Chen
Yi-Qi
YQ
Wei
Li-Li
LL
Wu
Wei
W
Wang
Zhao-Yang
ZY
Liu
Yang
Y
Lu
Fan
F
Qu
Jia
J
D000818:Animals; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods*; D002404:Catheterization / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006041:Goats; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000379:methods; D009880:Ophthalmic Artery; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures; D011677:Punctures; D015356:Retinal Artery Occlusion / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012170:Retinal Vein Occlusion / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012235:Rhodamines
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D012235:Rhodamines; C022027:lissamine rhodamine B