New surgery for severe eyelid drooping and rolling in dogs

Abstract

PURPOSE: To describe the use of coronofrontal rhytidectomy (CFR) for the treatment of severe pseudoptosis and superior entropion in dogs, and to provide guidelines for the selection of surgical technique depending on presentation. METHODS: A review of medical records of dogs that underwent rhytidectomy from 2002 to 2023 was carried out, including signalment, clinical signs, type of rhytidectomy, concurrent surgical techniques, re-interventions, post-operative complications, follow-up time, and outcome. RESULTS: Twenty dogs with a median age of 5.1 years were included in this study. English Cocker Spaniel was the most common breed (8 dogs:40%) and males were overrepresented (13 dogs: 65%). Besides pseudoptosis and visual impairment (100%), the other most common clinical signs were entropion and/or ectropion (19 dogs: 95%), conjunctivitis (17 dogs: 85%), euryblepharon (12 dogs: 60%) and non-ulcerative keratitis (10 dogs: 50%). CFR was performed in 12 dogs (60%), frontal rhytidectomy in 5 (25%), coronal in 2 (10%), and modified shared in 1 (5%). Concurrent surgical techniques were performed in 17 dogs (85%), being lateral canthoplasty (13 dogs; 65%), and Celsus-Hotz (10 dogs; 50%) the most common. The median follow-up time was 115 days with no complications and good outcomes reported in all dogs. At last re-recheck, complete correction of the eyelid positioning was obtained in 92% (11/12) and 87.5% (7/8) of the cases that underwent CFR and other rhytidectomy techniques, respectively. CONCLUSION: CFR is an effective surgical treatment for severe pseudoptosis and superior entropion in dogs. The provided guidelines will assist in the selection of the most appropriate eyelid lifting technique.