Recombinant tissue plasminogen activator to lyse experimentally induced retinal arterial thrombi.

We evaluated the efficacy of intravenously administered recombinant tissue plasminogen activator to lyse laser-induced arterial thrombi in the stroke-prone, spontaneously hypertensive rat model. The arterial thrombi were confirmed histologically, and assessed by color photographs and fluorescein angiography before and after intravenous tissue plasminogen activator or saline therapy. Experimental animals received tissue plasminogen activator (1 mg/kg of body weight) given intravenously over one hour, and control animals received similar volumes of normal saline. Tissue plasminogen activator was effective in lysing experimental retinal arterial thrombi.