EARLY CLINICAL AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL EFFECTS OF DILTIAZEM INJECTION ON RABBIT EXTRAOCULAR-MUSCLES

We injected diltiazem into the left lateral rectus muscles (LR) of 10 rabbits in order to examine the ultrastructural effects of diltiazem o n rabbit extraocular muscles and estimate its advantages in clinical u se as an alternative to the surgical therapy of strabismus. The animal s were divided into two groups according to the time of evaluation fol lowing the injection. The LR muscles of both eyes of the first group w ere respected 60 min after the injection, for ultrastructural examinat ion. The same procedure was done for the second group at the 24th hour The right eyes were used as the control group. There was a medial shi ft 3-5 min following the injection in the left eyes of both groups. Th e ultrastructural examination revealed weakness in muscle contractilit y, probably as a result of inhibition of glycogen usage due to calcium accumulation. In this study, we examined the early clinical and ultra structural effects of diltiazem.