Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To describe and evaluate a surgical technique utilized for the therapy of deep corneal stromal abscesses (DSA) in horses. The DSA is excised and replaced with a partial thickness corneal lamellar allograft.

METHODS:

A retrospective clinical study describing the indications for the surgical technique utilized and the outcomes of this procedure in 10 eyes of 10 horses.

RESULTS:

Each affected eye had a discrete DSA within the posterior stroma. An initial partial thickness semicircular corneal incision was made at the limbus, followed by anterior stromal lamellar dissection over the lesion. After excision of the DSA and replacement with a larger diameter split-thickness donor button, the anterior stroma was replaced into its original position and the initial corneal incision was repaired. All of the animals that underwent deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) procedure healed appropriately and with subjectively less postoperative scarring and complications than previously described surgical approaches to DSA.

CONCLUSIONS:

This procedure is an effective technique for surgical removal of DSA in horses and, in most cases, results in a visual and cosmetically acceptable globe. The advantages of this technique compared to other surgical approaches to DSA are the peripheral location of the incision, shortened anesthesia times, the resultant minimal scarring and shorter healing times associated with DLEK.