Clinical evaluation of experimentally induced choroidal neovascularizations in pigmented rabbits by subretinal injection of lipid hydroperoxide and consecutive preliminary photodynamic treatment with Tookad.

Purpose: Up to date several approaches have been undertaken to achieve an 'easy-to-handle' animal model of choroidal neovascularizations (CNVs) in rabbits; however, so far in none of the studies could healthy retinal tissue be maintained, which is mandatory to further investigate the effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) or anti-vascular-endothelial-growth-factor treatments. It was our aim to reevaluate and verify the method of inducing experimental CNVs in rabbits using subretinally injected linoleic acid hydroperoxide (LHP) as proposed by Tamai et al. and to use it for experimental PDT.

Investigation of selective retina treatment (SRT) by means of 8 ns laser pulses in a rabbit model.

Background: It has been shown that selective retina treatment (SRT) using a train of 1.7 microseconds laser pulses allows selective damage of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) while sparing the adjacent photoreceptors and thus avoiding laser scotoma. It was the purpose of this work to investigate SRT laser effects with Q-switched pulses of only 8 nanoseconds in duration by evaluating the angiographic and ophthalmoscopic damage thresholds and the damage range by histology in a rabbit model.

Evaluation of the new photosensitizer Tookad (WST09) for photodynamic vessel occlusion of the choroidal tissue in rabbits.

Purpose: To determine the efficacy of Tookad (WST09; Negma-Lerads, Magny-Les-Hameaux, France) photodynamic therapy (T-PDT) by evaluating the angiographic and histologic closure of choroidal vessels at different radiance exposures, drug dosages, and intervals between photosensitizer injection and laser application in a rabbit model.

Methods: Chinchilla Bastard rabbits were injected intravenously with three different dye concentrations (2.5, 5, and 10 mg/kg) before application of light.