Bilateral retinal artery and choriocapillaris occlusion following the injection of long-acting corticosteroid suspensions in combination with other drugs: II. Animal experimental studies.

An experimental dog model was used to reproduce the clinical picture of bilateral arteriole and choriocapillaris occlusion from a unilateral intracarotid injection of long-acting corticosteroids combined with other drugs including lidocaine, epinephrine, and penicillin. All five known long-acting corticosteroids, when combined with 1:1000,000 epinephrine, elicited vasoconstriction followed by dilatation of the retinal vessels with particulate material occlusion of the retinal vessels and choriocapillaris associated with small retinal hemorrhages. The fluorescein picture is described. The particles were identified by polarization as the long-acting corticosteroid.