Scintigraphic evaluation of lacrimal glands using a rabbit experimental model

The aim of this study was to establish an experimental model to evaluate functional changes in lacrimal gland parenchyma using gamma scintigraphy. Although the lacrimal glands of the rabbit have frequently been used for ophthalmological research, scintigraphic evaluation of these glands has received far less attention and we could not find any reports concerning this topic in the literature. Ten rabbits were used for the study; in 4 of them, the orbital region was dissected to provide the topographic anatomy of the lacrimal glands. Four rabbits underwent a static scintigraphy after excision of a unilateral lacrimal gland. Changes in the pattern of tracer uptake indicated the exact position of the gland on the scintiscan. One rabbit served as a control, and another one was used to prove the surgical accessibility of the gland. Using a frontal projection of the head the (99m)TcO(-)(4) uptake of the rabbit lacrimal glands could be identified and evaluated in the upper lateral region of the scintiscan. In conclusion, the lacrimal glands of the rabbit provide an appropriate experimental model to study quantitative disturbances of lacrimal secretion using scintigraphy and enable the assignment of functional impairment to morphological changes of the lacrimal parenchyma.