Surgical management of corneal ulcer using conjunctival pedicle graft in dogs Qureshi Beenish1, Mahajan S.K.2,†, Devi N. Umeshwori3, Mohindroo Jitender4 1PhD scholar, Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, College of Veterinary Sciences, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana -141 001 (Punjab) 2Professor, Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, College of Veterinary Sciences, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana -141 001 (Punjab) 3Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, College of Veterinary Sciences, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana -141 001 (Punjab) 4Professor & Head, Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, College of Veterinary Sciences, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana -141 001 (Punjab) †Corresponding author; E-mail: skmahajan73@yahoo.co.in
Online Published on 20 May, 2023. Abstract The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of conjunctival graft for management of corneal affections in dogs. After a detailed ophthalmic examination, eight dogs with confirmed lesions were included in the study. All dogs showed unresponsiveness to medical therapy despite long term topical treatment with NSAIDS, artificial tears and gatifloxacin. All the animals were premedicated with a combination of atropine (0.04 mg/kg body wt), acepromazine maleate (0.02 mg/kg body wt) and butorphanol (0.2 mg/kg body wt) administered intramuscularly. Anaesthesia was induced with propofol (4 mg/ kg body wt, i.v.) and maintained with 1-2% isoflurane. Depending upon the location of ulcer, grafts were harvested from superior, inferior or lateral bulbar conjunctiva whichever was near to the ulcer to allow the graft to travel shortest distance. Conjunctival flap was sutured to the cornea with simple interrupted sutures using 8-0 Polyglactin-910 absorbable suture material followed by temporary partial tarsorrhaphy using non-absorbable suture material. Postoperative complications included neovascularization, oedema and hyperemia. Besides few complications, the outcome was markedly good as seven out of eight animals regained the normal corneal structure and vision. Top Keywords Corneal ulcer, Conjunctival flap, Dog. Top |