BLOOD VELOCITY IN AN EXPERIMENTAL IRIS TUMOR

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Greene strain melanoma was implanted into th e irides of eight nonpigmented rabbits to evaluate the blood flow in t umor vasculature, MATERIALS AND METHODS: Conventional scanning laser o phthalmoscopy was used in conjunction with fluorescent microsphere ang iography (FMA). Changes were documented on SVHS videotape for later an alysis. Individual microsphere movement was tracked through the tumor vessels. Subsequently, blood velocity measurements were taken. RESULTS : The tumor vessels were poorly organized and inefficient. Tumor blood -velocity was up to 2.5 times slower compared with normal blood veloci ty in the unaffected iris of the same eye of the same rabbit (P = .05) , Tumor blood flow could be qualitatively visualized in real time in t he live rabbit model. CONCLUSION: The ability to visualize fluorescent microspheres within the poorly organized tumor vasculature coupled wi th the reduced blood velocity in the turner helps to explain the succe ss of hyperthermic tumoricidal therapy, and may allow for development of more efficient and selective drug delivery systems and tumoricidal agents.