Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
tPA injection effects on eye healing after dog cataract surgery
By Kim, Kyulee et al.·Published in Veterinary ophthalmology·2025·Department of Veterinary Ophthalmology, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effects of intracameral tissue plasminogen activator injection on posterior capsular opacification, fibrin formation, and intraocular pressure in dogs after phacoemulsification.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 21 dogs that had cataract surgery were given an injection of a medication called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to see if it could help control eye pressure after the procedure. While the injection did not change the amount of fibrin (a protein involved in blood clotting) or the cloudiness of the lens (posterior capsular opacification) in the eyes, it did help keep the eye pressure lower on the day of surgery compared to dogs that did not receive the injection. There were no serious side effects from the tPA, except for one dog that had a temporary issue with bleeding in the eye.
People also search for: dog cataract surgery recovery · tPA injection for dogs · dog eye pressure after surgery · cataract surgery complications in dogs
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether intracameral tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) injection is effective in regulating posterior capsular opacification (PCO), fibrin formation and intraocular pressure (IOP) after cataract surgery. ANIMAL STUDIED: Prospective study involving 30 eyes of 21 dogs that underwent phacoemulsification. PROCEDURES: Thirty eyes were randomly divided into two groups of 15 eyes (control and tPA groups). Intracameral tPA (25 μg/0.1 mL) was injected into tPA group eyes before corneal incision closure but not into the eyes of the control group. The grades of anterior fibrin formation and PCO were compared based on slit lamp biomicroscope examination at 1 and 2 weeks, 1 month, and 2-3 months postoperatively. IOP was measured using applanation tonometry every 30 min for 4 h immediately after operation and on the following morning. The IOP of the two groups at each time was compared. RESULTS: The grade of anterior fibrin formation and that of PCO were not significantly different between the two groups at any time point (p > .05). However, the IOP of the tPA group was significantly lower than that of the control group at each point on the day of surgery (p < .05). No complications were observed with tPA injection, except for temporary hyphema (for 3 days) in one eye. CONCLUSIONS: Although the intracameral tPA injection did not affect anterior fibrin formation and PCO, it effectively maintained normal IOP immediately after phacoemulsification. Thus, our findings provide valuable insights into the potential benefits of intracameral tPA injection in achieving immediate IOP control after phacoemulsification.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39289864/