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ELECTRON MICROSCOPY OF THE CILIARY EPITHELIUM IN THROMBOCYTOPENIC RABBITS
Author(s) -
PEDERSEN OLAV ØYVIND,
AURSNES IVAR
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.1978.tb03807.x
Subject(s) - epithelium , ciliary processes , ciliary body , fibrin , pathology , electron microscope , cilium , anatomy , biology , pathogenesis , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , optics , physics
Thrombocytopenia was induced in four albino rabbits by giving sublethal doses of gamma‐irradiation (6.6 Gy) to their whole bodies. The animals were sacrificed 10 days later. The test animals were at that time markedly thrombocytopenic. Numerous petechial haemorrhages were found in their ciliary processes. With the electron microscope extensive pathological changes were also found in the epithelium of the ciliary processes. The pigmented epithelium showed numerous cystic dilatations of the intercellular spaces, which sometimes contained fibrin and break‐up products of red blood cells. In the most affected parts of the epithelium, dilatations of the lateral intercellular spaces of the non‐pigmented epithelium were observed as well. Fibrin was found in the lateral intercellular spaces of the non‐pigmented epithelium and also infiltrating the internal limiting membrane, indicating breakdown of the blood‐aqueous barrier to protein. In one control animal whose head was irradiated with the rest of the body shielded with lead, no pathological changes were found in the ciliary processes compared with three non‐irradiated animals. The study shows that a vascular defect in the ciliary processes can induce changes in the ciliary epithelium identical to those found in inflammatory conditions of the anterior uvea. The suggestion that the vessels of the ciliary processes play an important role in the pathogenesis of such conditions is thus sustained.