Kevin C. Chan1,2, Qing-ling Fu3, Kwok-fai So3, Ed X. Wu1,2
1Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; 2Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; 3Department of Anatomy, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
This study aims to employ in vivo contrast-enhanced MRI to evaluate the ocular transport upon an induction of ocular hypertension in the right eye in a rat model of chronic glaucoma. Following systemic administration of Gd-DTPA solution, our results showed a progressive T1-weighted signal increase in the anterior vitreous body of the glaucomatous eye but not the control eye, suggestive of the leakage of Gd-DTPA at the aqueous-vitreous interface. These findings may explain the sources of changing biochemical compositions in the glaucomatous chamber components, which may implicate the cascades of neurodegenerative processes in the retina and the optic nerve. Our findings of the early Gd-DTPA signal enhancements in the anterior vitreous body than the preretinal vitreous provided a noninvasive marker for the disease. More importantly, this approach could have direct clinical applications and can be readily translated to humans.