Visual outcome after corneal transplantation in horses

 Keratoplasty has proven to be effective

Florida – mechentel news – Penetrating keratoplasty can developp a successful visual outcome in horses with iris prolapse, says Mde. L. Henriksen et al. of the College of Veterinary Medicine of Florida. The objective was the investigation and evaluation of the visual outcome of horses presented with iris prolapse and treated with corneal transplantation treated with penetrating keratoplasty alone and penetrating keratoplasty in combination with overlying conjunctival or amniotic membrane grafting. For this matter a retrospective medical records study was started in horses presented to the University of Florida Veterinary Medical Center for iris prolapse in the period of 1998-2010. Data collected from the medical records included signalment, clinical descriptions of ocular lesions, treatments, and therapeutic outcome. Iris prolapses in this study were caused by corneal ulcers with keratomalacia (n = 37). All horses were treated medically for infection, hyperproteinase activity and iridocyclitis, and then surgically treated with either penetrating keratoplasty alone (n = 9) or penetrating keratoplasty with either a conjunctival pedicle flap (n = 22), amniotic membrane transplant (n = 5) or amnion membrane and conjunctival pedicle flap (n = 1). The eyes were visual postoperatively in a majority of the cases (n = 24; 64.9%). Limited vision was noted in 6 eyes (16.2%), 3 eyes became phthisical (8.1%) and 4 globes were enucleated (10.8%). Graft rejection manifested as some degree of donor corneal graft opacification in all cases. Anterior synechiae were present in 48.6% of the eyes. Wound dehiscence and aqueous humour leakage were also common as post-operative problems. The result of the study published in the December 2012 issue of the journal Equine Vet J Suppl shows that penetrating keratoplasty alone or in combination with an overlying graft of conjunctiva or amniotic membrane can achieve a successful visual outcome in a high percentage of horses with iris prolapse.

Authors: Henriksen Mde L, Plummer CE, Mangan B, Ben-Shlomo G, Tsujita H, Greenberg S, Toft N, Brooks DE. Correspondence: Ophthalmology Service, Department of Small and Large Animal Clnincal Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Florida, USA. Study: Visual outcome after corneal transplantation for corneal perforation and iris prolapse in 37 horses: 1998-2010. Source: Equine Vet J Suppl. 2012 Dec;44 Suppl 43:115-9. Web: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.2042- 3306.2012.00657.x/abstract