Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Thermal cautery to treat chronic cornea wounds in dogs and horses
By Bentley, Ellison & Murphy, Christopher J·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2004·Department of Surgical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Thermal cautery of the cornea for treatment of spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects in dogs and horses.
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with chronic eye problems called spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCEDs) underwent a new treatment using thermal cautery. This involved applying heat to the affected area of the eye to promote healing. After the procedure, which included placing a contact lens and using antibiotic eye drops, all the dogs' eye defects healed within about 2 to 3 weeks with little scarring. This method could be a good option for dogs that don't respond to other treatments for these eye issues.
People also search for: dog eye problems treatment · thermal cautery for dog corneal defects · healing time for dog eye surgery
Abstract
A thermal cautery technique was used to treat spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCEDs) in 9 eyes of 8 dogs and 2 eyes of 2 horses. Animals were sedated, and a topical anesthetic was applied. A handheld thermal cautery unit was then used to make multiple, small (< or = 1 mm in diameter), superficial burns throughout the affected area. The cautery unit was applied just until the slightest degree of contraction of the collagen fibrils was observed. After the stromal bed of the defect was treated, a rim of epithelium that extended approximately 1 mm around the denuded stroma was also subjected to thermal cautery. Following surgery, a contact lens was placed in dogs but not in horses, and the eye was treated with broad-spectrum antimicrobial ophthalmic solutions. Defects in all 11 eyes healed with minimal scarring; mean time to healing in dogs was 2.1 weeks (range, 2 to 3 weeks). The defect healed in 1 week in 1 horse and in 2 weeks in the other. Many therapeutic options are available for the treatment of SCCEDs. Procedures such as epithelial debridement and anterior stromal puncture have been shown to have a high rate of success. In cases for which these less invasive procedures fail, our results suggest that thermal cautery may be a reasonable alternative to previously described treatments for SCCEDs in dogs and horses prior to more invasive procedures such as superficial keratectomy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14736070/