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Peer-reviewed veterinary case report

Mineralized corneal plaque causing eye pain in young cat

By Gemensky, A J & Wilkie, D A·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2001·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed

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Original publication title: Mineralized corneal sequestrum in a cat.

Species:
cat

Plain-English summary

An 8-month-old male cat was brought in for a persistent eye problem, including a painful raised plaque on the cornea and signs of inflammation. After trying a corticosteroid eye drop that didn't help, the vet performed surgery to remove the plaque. The cat's cornea healed with some mild scarring, and tests showed that the plaque was a mineralized corneal sequestrum, likely caused by a previous herpesvirus infection. The surgery was successful, and the cat's eye condition improved after treatment.

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Abstract

An 8-month-old 3-kg (6.6-lb) sexually intact male cat was evaluated for chronic refractory keratitis and a corneal plaque that developed after treatment with a corticosteroid-containing ophthalmic preparation. Pertinent ophthalmic findings included blepharospasm, conjunctivitis, corneal vascularization, and a tan raised corneal plaque with a dense and gritty composition. Lamellar keratectomy was performed to excise the plaque. The cornea healed with mild scarring. Histologic examination revealed extensive coagulation necrosis and mineralization of the corneal stroma with increased inflammatory cells, blood vessels, and fibrosis, which is compatible with a diagnosis of mineralized corneal sequestrum. The history suggested chronic feline herpesvirus-1 (FHV-1)-induced keratoconjunctivitis as the underlying cause. Topical corticosteroid administration may have potentiated the preexisting corneal necrosis and initiated mineralization. To our knowledge, mineralization of a corneal sequestrum in a cat has not been reported in a clinical case but has been reported in cats experimentally infected with FHV-1.

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Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11759995/