Experimental retinopathy by hyperbaric oxygenation

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) usually occurs after a prolonged exposure to normobaric hyperoxia in newborn mammals and infants. We hypothesized that experimental ROP also could develop after acute exposures to hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO), providing that a severe and maintained retinal vasoconstriction occurred during HBO exposure. Five- to seven-day-old, Long Evans Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed for 5 h either to 5 atm abs oxygen or to 5 atm abs O2 with 190 mmHg inspired PCO2 (hypercapnia). Control rats breathed air at atmospheric pressure. Two months after exposures, rats were anesthetized, perfused intraventricularly with India ink, and retinal images were obtained. Retinal vascular density (RVD) in each image was calculated as the number of pixels in the retinal vessel area divided by the total number of pixels in the image (retinal tissue and vessels). The RVD was significantly increased from 0.0112 +/- 0.004 in the air-exposed controls to 0.0417 +/- 0.029 in the HBO-exposed rats (mean +/- SD; n = 4 in each group). HBO with hypercapnia produced a nonsignificant increase in RVD (0.0255 +/- 0.007; n = 4), reducing the HBO-induced increase in RVD by 39%. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that a sustained HBO-induced retinal vasoconstriction in newborn rats, followed by a hypoxic-ischemic injury, might result in vascular proliferation, thereby initiating ROP development on return to air. Hypercapnia does not completely prevent HBO-induced retinal vasoproliferation, probably because possible vasodilation, induced by hypercapnia, can greatly elevate retinal tissue PO2 and promote oxidative damage.