Tolerance of the rabbit cornea to an n-butyl-ester cyanoacrylate adhesive (Vetbond).
OBJECTIVE
An n-butyl-ester cyanoacrylate adhesive available for veterinary surgery (Vetbond, 3M) was tested in rabbits for corneal irritation.


METHODS
Two experimental procedures were used on 24 rabbits: injection of the adhesive into an intralamellar corneal pocket (n = 10) and application of the glue to a mid-stromal corneal defect (n = 14). In both experiments the eyes were examined for 20 days for evidence of corneal irritation and tolerance. At the end of each experiment, histopathologic studies were performed on all corneas.


RESULTS
The corneal reaction to the intrastromally injected cyanoacrylate was characterized clinically by slight edema and vascularization localized to the vicinity of the adhesive. A moderate foreign body-type reaction was found histologically. Following application of the adhesive to a central stromal defect, the treated corneas remained totally clear and histopathologic examination showed that the healing process was not altered compared to the controls. The mean retention time of the glue patch was 14 days.


CONCLUSIONS
Intrastromal injection and surface application to a corneal defect of n-butyl-ester cyanoacrylate to a corneal defect induced only a mild inflammatory response and did not interfere with the reparative process. These findings suggest that this surgical adhesive would be acceptable for treating corneal ulcerations in animals.
Ollivier
F
F
University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Delverdier
M
M
Regnier
A
A
D000818:Animals; D003315:Cornea / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D003487:Cyanoacrylates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D007267:Injections / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014014:Tissue Adhesives / Q000494:pharmacology*
D003487:Cyanoacrylates; D014014:Tissue Adhesives