The brains and retinas of laboratory animals fixed by perfusion occasionally contain isolated round fat emboli, which increase in number if the two organs are covered with oil during the autopsy. These emboli, in contrast to emboli induced by intravenous injection of oil, are present in smaller numbers, occur without adjacent aggregation of erythrocytes and do not cause widening of the occluded vascular channel. The fat emboli in the normal brain are attributed to connective tissue fat aggregating on the exposed cerebral surface and flowing through openings cut in the leptomeninges and the vascular walls during removal of the brain. Their formation could not be entirely prevented by covering the brain with running water or by submerging the forepart of the animal’s body in water during the autopsy. Nevertheless, such a procedure is recommended to avoid introduction of extraneous fat when in a given experiment the question of fat embolism arises. Fat emboli demonstrable in the flattened retina of the cat and the mulatta monkey are ascribed to aspiration of retrobulbar connective tissue fat; they can be prevented by placing a ligature around the optic nerve prior to removal of the eye.

Keywords:
Fat emboli, Normal animals, Brain, Retina, Fixation by perfusion
This content is only available via PDF.
© 1977 S. Karger AG, Basel
1977
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.