Sub‐Tenon's anesthesia for canine cataract surgery

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveTo test a sub‐Tenon's anesthesia technique in dogs as an alternative to systemic neuromuscular blockade to aid in canine cataract surgery under general anesthesia.ProceduresA prospective controlled clinical study was performed involving 12 dogs undergoing bilateral cataract surgery under general anesthesia. One eye was randomly assigned to have phacoemulsification and prosthetic lens implantation performed with sub‐Tenon's anesthesia (STA), and the control eye had surgery performed with systemic neuromuscular blockade (NMB). Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured immediately before and afterSTAadministration. Globe position, globe rotation, pupillary dilation, and vitreal expansion were assessed for bothSTAandNMBeyes during surgery.ResultsSub‐Tenon's anesthesia produced a globe position suitable for cataract surgery with the degree of vitreal expansion not significantly different to controlNMBeyes.STAproduced greater anterior globe displacement thanNMBin all cases.STAhad no significant effect onIOP.ConclusionSub‐Tenon's anesthesia was an effective alternative to systemic neuromuscular blockade for canine cataract surgery and may be beneficial for surgical exposure in deep orbited breeds.