Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Feasibility and Safety of Argon Cold Plasma Use as an Adjunctive Treatment for Corneal Disease in Dogs, Cats and Small Mammals: A Prospective Clinical Study.
- Journal:
- Veterinary ophthalmology
- Year:
- 2026
- Authors:
- Soukup, Petr & Allgoewer, Ingrid
- Affiliation:
- Animal Eye Practice · Germany
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the feasibility of argon cold plasma (ACP) use in corneal diseases in clinical practice and assessment of short- and long-term safety in dogs, cats, and small mammals. ANIMALS STUDIED: Client-owned animals. PROCEDURE: ACP was performed in animals with corneal diseases using the kINPenVET (Neoplas GmbH, Germany) under topical anesthesia as an adjunct to standard treatment. Early (< 30 days) and long-term (> 30 days) adverse reactions and events were monitored. RESULTS: 303 eyes in 281 animals were treated with ACP (263 dogs, 8 cats, 10 small mammals) with the following conditions: spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCED, n = 178), infected/infiltrated ulcers (n = 76), keratomalacia (n = 22), corneal perforation (n = 20), other (n = 7). Treatment under topical anesthesia was well tolerated with only a few animals showing stress during the procedure (3.2%, 8 dogs, 1 cat). The average number of treatments per eye was 3.45 ± 1.74 with a median of 3 (1-9). The two direct adverse reactions observed were punctate opacities (1.3%, n = 4) and blepharospasm (0.7%, n = 2). Short-term adverse events were: epithelial tears differing from the initial ulceration (4.0%, n = 12), development of stromal infiltrates (2.3%, n = 7), occurring/persistent keratomalacia (2.0%, n = 6). Long-term follow-up period averaged 173.1 days with a median of 117 (30-619) days. The most common long-term adverse events were significant corneal fibrosis and pigmentation (4.0%, n = 12, mostly cases of dry eyes). CONCLUSIONS: ACP with kINPenVET is a clinically feasible outpatient treatment for various corneal diseases with a low number of short- and long-term adverse reactions and events. It can be easily integrated into clinical treatment protocols.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41614211/