The Temporal Topography of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy in the Chinchilla Rabbits Induced by Intravenous Injection of Adrenaline: An in vivo Study

PURPOSE: To explore the temporal topography of the chorioretinopathy in an animal model of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) induced by intravenous injection of adrenalin in the Chinchilla rabbits. METHODS: Ten Chinchilla rabbits received a daily intravenous injection of adrenaline at 0.04 mg/kg for 8 weeks. Fluorescence fundus angiography (FFA) and electroretinogram (ERG) were performed every week afterwards to see whether there was fluorescence leakage in the fundus and to evaluate the retinal function. Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were also conducted to detect the change of choroidal vessels. Finally, the eyes of the rabbits were enucleated to make the retinal sections for histological examination with hematoxylin–eosin (HE) staining. RESULTS: Within 8 weeks of the adrenalin administration, 7 out of the 10 rabbits showed different degrees of fluorescence leakage on FFA. The leakage was more obvious during 2–3 weeks after the adrenalin administration. With the progress of disease, the leakage subsided gradually and a scar-like lesion formed. ICGA revealed the local choroidal ischemia and the dilated choroidal vessels. An obvious detachment of retina and an increased thickness of the choroid were found on OCT, which was most obvious 2 weeks after the adrenalin administration (P<0.01). ERG revealed no obvious decline of the b-wave amplitude before and after the adrenalin administration (P>0.05). A circumscribed retinal detachment, the depigmentation of retinal pigment epithelium and enlarged choroidal vessels were shown by the histological examination. CONCLUSION: The temporal topography of the chorioretinopathy in the Chinchilla rabbits by intravenous injection of adrenaline somewhat mimicked that of the human CSC, which could enhance its application in the exploration for the pathogenesis and the therapeutic measures for human CSC.