title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
authors.forename: Soohyun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Yoon
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kwak
authors.affiliation: Royal Animal Medical Center, Seoul 02117, Korea.
authors.forename: Manbok
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
authors.forename: Kangmoon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003318:Corneal Opacity / Q000209:etiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016039:Corneal Transplantation / Q000662:veterinary*; D003886:Descemet Membrane / Q000601:surgery*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D004285:Dogs; D008297:Male
keywords: big-bubble technique; corneal transplantation; deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty; dogs