Clinical Features of Choroidal Metastases from Carcinoid Tumour

Purpose:To report ophthalmologic and angiographic features of choroidal metastases from carcinoid tumor and analyze their common clinical manifestation.Methods:Ophthalmologic examinations and fundus fluorescein angiography(FFA) were performed in 30 patients suffered from carcinoid tumor,and four patients diagnosed of breast cancer(2 cases),lung cancer(1 case)and maxillary sinus cancer(1 case)were confirmed with choroidal metastases.Results:Choroidal metastases were found as the initial manifestations of the malignant tumors on 2 patients whose initial and chief complaints were decreasing vision,theirfun鄄dusl esions were mainly presented in the posterir pole and FFA showed high density of fluorescence of the lesions.Conclusions:This study indicated choroidal metastasis might be the first sign of metastases for patients with cancer.For patients with unknown metastastic cancers,examinations of the choroids may be useful for diagnosis and prognosis.Eye Science 2004;20:15-18.

Different Effects of Topical Prazosin and Pilocarpine on Uveoscleral Outflow in Rabbit Eyes

Purpose: To investigate the effects of topical prazosin and pilocarpine on uveoscleral outflow(Fu) in rabbits.Methods: Sixteen rabbits were randomly divided into the control group (5 rabbits, only topical application of normal saline in the right eye of each rabbit), Prazosin (PZ) treated group (6 rabbits, only 0.1% Prazosin eyedrop 0.1% in the right eye of each one) and Pilocarpine (PC) treated group (5 rabbits, 1% Pilocarpine eye drop in each right eye).Intraocular pressure (IOP)of bilateral eyes of each rabbit was measured before and 1 h after topical application of the eye drop.And the bilateral eyes were perfused with Fluorescein-isothiocyanate bovine serum albumin (FITC-BSA) as the tracer into the anterior chamber of each rabbit for 30 min at 90 min after topical treatment. Then the rabbits were killed for Fu measurement.Results: IOP of PZ-treated eyes decreased [ (0.71 +0.07)kPa ] in 1 hour after PZ application.IOP of PC-treated eyes decreased [(0.70+0.08)kPa] in 1 hour after PC application. The average value of Fu was (0.176+0.048)μl/min in control eyes. The average value of Fu in PZ-treated eyes was (0.339+0.018)μl/min. The average value of Fu in PC-treated eye was(0.123+0.022) μl/min.Conclusion: Both of PZ and PC can decrease IOP in rabbits following topical application.Topical PZ can increase Fu in rabbits and this is one of the mechanisms of PZ-induced IOP decrease.Topical PC can prevent Fu. PC decreases IOP not through uveoscleral pathway.This study demonstrates that uveoscleral pathway plays an important role in aqueous humor drainage. PZ may be a novel drug for decreasing IOP. FITC-BSA is an effective tracer for studying uveoscleral pathway.