Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty of dog eyes using the big-bubble technique

Abstract

This study was conducted to establish the feasibility of corneal transplantation using the big-bubble technique (BBT) to perform deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) in three dogs. After the cornea was trephined 750 µm, 4 mL of air was injected, and the blanched stroma was removed to expose Descemet's membrane (DM). The donor corneal button, which was gently stripped off the DM, was sutured onto the bare DM of the recipient cornea. The dogs received topical antibiotics every 6 h for 7 days and 2% cyclosporine ointment every 12 h for 1 month. The eyes were examined post-operatively at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 150 days. The central portion of the transplanted cornea stayed transparent while corneal haze developed around the transplanted margin. Menace response was normal even though the transplanted cornea was edematous until 3 weeks after surgery. A marginal haze was rarely observed between the donor and recipient corneas at 150 days after the operation. A spotted haze developed in the central part of the deep stroma near the DM. Upon histopathological examination, the stroma and epithelium of the donor cornea had normal structures. Corneal transplantation using DALK with BBT can be performed in dogs preserving the healthy endothelium.

Long-term evaluation of autologous lamellar corneal grafts for the treatment of deep corneal ulcer in four dogs: a case report

“…Using autologous lamellar corneal grafts is advantageous because it leads to fewer graft rejections, and the donor tissue does not need to be stored or harvested prior to surgery (Ledbetter and Gilger 2013). Although many studies on lamellar corneal grafts have been https://doi.org/10.17221/139/2017-VETMED published (Jensen 1963;Kim et al 2016), to the best of our knowledge, only a few studies have employed autologous lamellar corneal grafts in dogs (Brightman et al 1989).…”

Ex vivo demonstration of canine corneal pre-Descemet’s anatomy using pneumodissection as for the big bubble technique for deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty

“…Although DALK with BB technique has been previously described in canine corneas 11 , this study is the first to demonstrate the existence of the cPDL in dogs predominantly forming a type1 BB after pneumodissection. This is a significant finding as it adds to implications for understanding and refining lamellar corneal surgery techniques and understanding corneal pathology [20][21][22][38][39][40] .…”

“…There is a growing interest in corneal anatomy and ultrastructure of the dog cornea as advances in human corneal surgeries are extrapolated to veterinary surgery. Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) procedure in veterinary ophthalmology is gaining popularity, but peer-reviewed publications in dogs are limited 9 – 11 . DALK is advantageous as it preserves the host corneal endothelium and DM.…”

Experience of using autologous cornea for deep and penetrating keratoplasty in dogs and cats

“…Autologous corneal transplantation has previously been used to treat deep stromal corneal ulcers, descemetoceles, and perforated corneal ulcers [9,10,11]. The essence of the method is to move your own cornea to the site of the defect and fix it with sutures.…”