Effect of morphological abnormalities on blood retinal barrier permeability in diabetic retinopathy

✍ Scribed by Johannes M. A. Gerven; Johan P. Boot; Herman H. P. J. Lemkes; Jaap A. Best

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 331 KB
• Volume: 80
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0012-4486
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00161244

✦ Synopsis

The morphological base for the impaired function of the blood retinal barrier was studied in 50 eyes of 10 insulin dependent and 21 non-insulin dependent patients with various levels of diabetic retinopathy. The permeability of the blood retinal barrier (PBRB) was determined by vitreous fluorophotometry with correction for autofluorescence, tenstransmission and non-protein bound plasma fluorescein concentration. Morphological abnormalities of diabetic retinopathy assessed by fundus photography and fluorescein angiography were individually scored on a decimal scale and related to the PBaB by multiple regression analysis. The PBRB was not correlated to morphological abnormalities of non-proliferative retinopathy [(1) microaneurysms, (2) hard exudates, (3) soft exudates, (4) intraretinal hemorrhages, (5) fluorescein leakage, and (6) capillary closure, p > 0.3]. The PBRB was correlated to morphological abnormalities of (we)proliferative retinopathy [(1) intraretinal microvascular abnormalities (StoMA) and (2) new vessels (S,,eo): PBRB =A+B'S~aMA +C-Snoo with PBRB in nm/sec, A = 1.5 -+ 0.5, B = 0.9 -+ 0.2 and C = 1.7 -+ 0.4, R 2 = 0.65, p < 0.0001]. It can be concluded that the increased blood retinal barrier permeability in diabetic patients is mainly due to (pre)proliferative abnormalities and not to non-proliferative abnormalities.