Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Boston Terriers with corneal endothelial dystrophy eye changes seen
By Thomasy, Sara M et al.·Published in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science·2016·Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: In Vivo Imaging of Corneal Endothelial Dystrophy in Boston Terriers: A Spontaneous, Canine Model for Fuchs' Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 10-year-old female Boston Terrier was diagnosed with corneal endothelial dystrophy, a condition that causes the cornea to swell due to cell degeneration. This breed is more prone to this issue, which can lead to vision problems. The dog's corneal health was assessed using advanced imaging techniques, revealing a significant reduction in healthy cells compared to unaffected dogs. While the study focused on understanding the disease better, it highlights the importance of monitoring eye health in Boston Terriers, especially as they age.
People also search for: Boston Terrier eye problems · corneal dystrophy in dogs · dog vision issues treatment
Abstract
PURPOSE: Boston Terriers (BTs) have a greater prevalence of corneal endothelial dystrophy (CED), in comparison to other canine breeds. Similar to Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD), this condition is characterized by endothelial cell degeneration with secondary corneal edema. This study assessed corneal morphology using in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) and Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) in BTs with and without CED. METHODS: The corneas of 16 BTs with CED and 15 unaffected, age-matched BTs underwent clinical evaluation and were imaged using IVCM and FD-OCT. A two-sample t-test or Mann-Whitney rank sum test were used to statistically compare parameters between groups. Data are presented as mean ± SD or median (range). RESULTS: Mean age did not significantly differ between affected and unaffected dogs at 10.0 ± 2.0 and 10.6 ± 2.4 years, respectively (P = 0.437). Females (69%) were overrepresented among the CED-affected dogs. In CED patients, IVCM demonstrated endothelial polymegathism and pleomorphism. Corneal endothelial density was significantly less (P < 0.001) in dogs with CED (1026 ± 260 cells/mm2) versus age-matched controls (2297 ± 372 cells/mm2). Fourier-domain OCT demonstrated a significant increase (P < 0.01) in central corneal and endothelium-Descemet's complex thickness in dogs with CED versus age-matched controls at 1019 (485-1550) or 536 (464-650) μm and 32 (22-56) or 25 (15-34) μm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Corneal endothelial dystrophy in BTs is a bilateral, adult-onset condition that shares many similarities with FECD. Thus, CED could serve as a spontaneous disease model to study the pathogenesis of and develop novel treatments for FECD.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27454658/