Abstract
To establish a rabbit animal model of closed globe blast injury with an application of self-developed explosive injury equipment, we tend to explore the anatomic and pathological changes of eyes under different gas pressure. The device comprises of high-pressure air source compression pump, air channel, and gas shock. There were 36 healthy bluish blue rabbits exposed to one of five blast pressures (500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, and 5,000 Kpa). Slit lamp microscope, B-mode ultrasonography, fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and intraocular pressure (IOP) examination were performed at 0-, 1-, 3-, and 7-days post exposure, while gross histopathology was assessed with H&E stain at 7 days. The contralateral eyes and non-blast exposed rabbits were used as controls. Definitive evidence of closed globe blast injury was obtained. Corneal edema and hyphema were observed in the models under all pressures with no full-thickness globe injury, or lens rupture, as the severity was pressure independent. There was no obvious retinal abnormality on B ultrasound or OCT scan, while light vitreous hemorrhage, commotio retinae, and heavy retinal pigmentation presented on one eye, respectively, in the eyes exposed to 5,000 Kpa. Increased retinal thickness with disorganizations on the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) layer and RGC apoptosis in groups under higher pressure (>500 Kpa). IOP of injured eyes were statistically decreased at day 1 and 7 post injury (p < 0.05). Conclusively, the rabbit animal model induced by self-developed equipment could mimic the clinical features of closed ocular blast injury successfully that was feasible and easy to operate. This will be a new rabbit animal model for investigating mechanisms and new therapeutic interventions of closed globe blast injury in the future.
Highlights
Mass casualties caused by blasts were common in war, bombing, or terrorism occurred around the world that have been documented in the Iraq War (2003), the Boston Marathon bombing (2013), and Tianjin Blast injury (2015), in which the rates of ocular injury were varied [1,2,3]
There were ∼80% of ocular injuries associated with blast fragmentation in military conflicts, the primary blast was predominantly accounted for the ocular blast injury [6]
Corneal edema and hyphema were observed in all eyes induced by gas shock at all pressure, the percentage of that was much higher in groups of higher pressure (≥1,000 Kpa)
Summary
Mass casualties caused by blasts were common in war, bombing, or terrorism occurred around the world that have been documented in the Iraq War (2003), the Boston Marathon bombing (2013), and Tianjin Blast injury (2015), in which the rates of ocular injury were varied [1,2,3]. Unlike other body parts covered with clothes, the eyes are more susceptible to blast injury due to lack of protection or spectacles wearing that can exacerbate the blast damage, especially in the. Blast Device Induced Globe Injury military explosions where the soldiers wear chest and head protection. The injuries resulting from explosions are classified into four parts as followed: the primary injury caused by detonation wave itself, fragments propelled by the explosion (glass, dust, and masonry from exploded constructions), displacement of victims due to blast wind induced acceleration of the body, and thermal injury caused by tremendous and temporary heat produced by the explosion [4, 5]. The ocular blast injury is combined and complicated eye damage that includes mechanical, chemical, and thermal damages, which can result in vision loss inordinately and even enucleation. According to the published literatures, the categories of blast injuries were relatively feasible and wellstudied aside from the primary blast, which might be due to the practical limitations of equipment and techniques involved in an experimental study
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