Abstract
In order to investigate the selective breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier in posterior uveitis angiograms were performed using fluorescein-conjugated dextrans (FITC-dextrans) of different molecular weights (150-kDa, 20-kDa, and 4-kDa) in two healthy controls and six patients with posterior uveitis, and the results compared with those of conventional fluorescein angiography. The smallest FITC-dextran could not penetrate the healthy blood-retinal barrier. Leakage of FITC-dextrans of all sizes was seen from swollen optic discs; dextrans of 4-kDa and 20-kDa leaked from areas of macula oedema; and retinal new vessels allowed the passage of 4-kDa molecules only. These results indicate that there is a differential breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier according to molecular size in various clinical situations associated with posterior uveitis.
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Atkinson, E., Jones, S., Ellis, B. et al. Molecular size of retinal vascular leakage determined by FITC-dextran angiography in patients with posterior uveitis. Eye 5, 440–446 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1991.71
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1991.71
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