[Does dionine (aethylmorphin) influence the lymph drainage of the eye? (author's transl)].

Drainage of a lymphotropic solution of Tc-99m sulfur colloid from the vitreous body was studied in twelve rabbits. Shortly after the application of this tracer, six of these rabbits had an injection of 0.06 ml, 0.5% dionine (Aethylmorphin) solution into the retrobulbar space. After the dionine injection, the decay of radio-activity from the eyes was significantly increased. The radio-activity in the control group approximated to 81.6% of the total applied radio-activity after six hours, whereas the radio-activity in the eyes of the dionine treated group was, on average, only 5% after the same time interval. Simultaneously, the radio-activity in the cervical lymph nodes increased significantly from approximately 0.10% in the control group to 0.67% in the dionine treated group. It is not known, as yet, whether dionine increases lymph drainage in man.