[Treatment trials of plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in central vein thrombosis of the retina].

Five patients with central retinal vein occlusion were treated by fibrinolysis using recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA). Three patients received 70 mg of rt-PA within 90 minutes followed by 1000 I.U. of heparin per hour. The retinal blood flow was measured by videofluorescence angiography. The arterio-venous passage time initially prolonged was diminished after the fibrinolysis. Also the vision and the plasma viscosity were improved. However, this beneficial effect lasted only for a few days. Therefore, two other patients were treated for three days by daily infusions of 70 mg rt-PA. This longterm lysis did not improve vision, arterio-venous passage time or plasma viscosity. No side effects of this fibrinolytic therapy were observed. But ten days later, all of these patients had to be treated by photocoagulation.