Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Treatment of bullous keratopathy in dogs using SKCAHF surgery
By Horikawa, Taemi et al.·Published in Cornea·2016·Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Superficial Keratectomy and Conjunctival Advancement Hood Flap (SKCAHF) for the Management of Bullous Keratopathy: Validation in Dogs With Spontaneous Disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of nine dogs with cloudy eyes due to a condition called bullous keratopathy underwent a surgical procedure that involved removing the damaged cornea and using a flap of conjunctival tissue to cover the area. After the surgery, the dogs showed a significant decrease in corneal thickness and their owners reported improvements in vision and reduced cloudiness over the following months. All dogs were comfortable before and after the procedure, suggesting that this surgery could be an effective treatment for this eye problem in dogs.
People also search for: dog eye cloudiness treatment · bullous keratopathy in dogs · dog corneal surgery recovery
Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of superficial keratectomy and conjunctival advancement hood flap (SKCAHF) for the treatment of bullous keratopathy in canine patients. METHODS: Nine dogs (12 eyes) diagnosed with progressive corneal edema underwent superficial keratectomy followed by placement of conjunctival advancement hood flaps. The canine patients were examined pre- and postoperatively using in vivo confocal microscopy, ultrasonic pachymetry (USP), and Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT). All owners responded to a survey regarding treatment outcomes. RESULTS: Mean central corneal thickness (CCT) as measured by FD-OCT was 1163 ± 290 μm preoperatively and significantly decreased postoperatively to 795 ± 197 μm (P = 0.001), 869 ± 190 μm (P = 0.005), and 969 ± 162 μm (P = 0.033) at median postoperative evaluations occurring at 2.2, 6.8, and 12.3 months, respectively. Owners reported significant improvement (P < 0.05) in vision and corneal cloudiness at 6.8 and 12.3 months postoperatively. The percentage of cornea covered by the conjunctival flap was correlated (P = 0.0159) with a reduction in CCT by USP at 12.3 months postoperatively. All canine patients were comfortable pre- and postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: SKCAHF results in a reduction of corneal thickness in canine patients with bullous keratopathy. The increase in corneal thickness over time, after performing SKCAHF, is likely because of progressive endothelial decompensation. This surgery is a potentially effective intervention for progressive corneal edema in dogs that may have value in treatment of human patients with bullous keratopathy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27538190/