Ultrasonic chorioretinopathy: a chloroquine vs control study.

High frequency ultrasound was used to produce chorioretinal lesions in two groups of pigmented rabbits. The control group received no medications. The other group was treated with subretinotoxic doses of chloroquine. Our experiment showed that the untreated group developed focal chorioretinal lesions and ricochet lesions at lower energies than did the chloroquinated group. We postulated that chloroquine, a melanin binding drug, altered melanin's ability to process ultrasonic energy by sonic-thermal conversion. This work suggests that chloroquine, even in subretinotoxic doses, may still exert an effect on the retina by chemically binding melanin and preventing its function as an energy transport system.