Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Comparing corneal grafts for eye surgery in dogs and cats
By Voitekha, Mariia A & Shilkin, Aleksei G·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2022·Shilkin Center for Veterinary Ophthalmology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A comparison between dehydrated and cryopreserved heterologous corneal grafts for penetrating keratoplasty in dogs and cats.
Plain-English summary
A group of 42 dogs and 65 cats with serious eye problems affecting their corneas underwent surgery to replace damaged tissue using either dehydrated or cryopreserved (frozen) corneal grafts. After six months, both types of grafts showed similar results, with about 40-43% of the animals achieving clear vision and mild scarring. Most pets experienced some improvement in vision, with 78% showing varying degrees of success. Both graft types had a low risk of transplant rejection, suggesting that dehydrated corneas can be a good alternative to frozen grafts for treating corneal defects in pets.
People also search for: dog eye surgery recovery · cat corneal graft success rate · dehydrated cornea for dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of dehydrated and cryopreserved heterologous corneal grafts in the management of full-thickness corneal defects in cats and dogs. ANIMALS STUDIED: Sixty-five cats (81 eyes) and 42 dogs (51 eyes) with full-thickness corneal defects of different origin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective randomized trial included 132 animal eyes (81 feline and 51 canine) with different full-thickness corneal defects. Penetrating keratoplasty with cryopreserved and dehydrated corneal grafts was performed in 57 and 75 eyes, respectively. Follow-up lasted for 6 months. RESULTS: Optically clear cornea with mild scarring was achieved in 40.4% of cases (23/57 eyes) after cryopreserved and in 42.7% of cases (32/75 eyes) after dehydrated corneal grafting. Moderate scarring after cryopreserved and dehydrated corneal grafting was observed in 35.1% of cases (20/57 eyes) and 37.3% of cases (28/75 eyes), respectively. Severe scarring and corneal opacities with severe vision loss after cryopreserved and dehydrated corneal grafting developed in 22.8% of cases (13/57 eyes) and 18.7% of cases (14/75 eyes), respectively. In two groups of animals combined, the affected eyes were salvaged and visual function improvement of varying degree was achieved in 78.0% of cases (103/132 eyes). Transplant rejection warranted enucleation in 1.75% of cases (1/57 eyes) and 1.3% of cases (1/75 eyes) after cryopreserved and dehydrated corneal grafting, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: No statistically significant differences in clinical outcomes of penetrating keratoplasty with cryopreserved and dehydrated corneal grafts were observed. Dehydrated cornea may be considered a viable alternative to cryopreserved grafts for the management of full-thickness corneal defects.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34080275/