[Diffusion of O2 in the normal and the ischemic retina of miniature pigs]

Transretinal PO2 profiles were recorded during normoxia and hyperoxia in normal and ischemic retinal territories in anesthetized miniature pigs using double barrelled recess type microelectrodes. In normoxia and hyperoxia the PO2 in the normal territory decreased from the inner retina and the choroid towards the mid-retina, indicating that the choroid cannot supply O2 to the whole normal retina. Preretinal and transretinal PO2 measurements in ischemic territories following a laser occlusion of a retinal branch vein demonstrated that in normoxia the direction of PO2 gradients prevents O2 diffusing from the choroid to reach the inner retina. This explains why the ischemic territories are hypoxic. In the contrary, during hyperoxia the intraretinal PO2 gradient indicates an O2 flux from the choroid to the inner retina resulting to marked preretinal PO2 increase at the affected territories. We proposed the hypothesis that in the ischemic retinas the hyperoxia does not induce a rise of the O2 consumption of the outer retina. Hence hyperoxia could be a useful tool to restore the oxygenation of the inner hypoxic retinal layers.