Corneoconjunctival transposition with and without ACell® for deep corneal ulcer repair in 18 dogs.

OBJECTIVE To document a case series using corneoconjunctival transposition (CCT) surgery with and without bioscaffolding matrix (ACell® ) to repair deep corneal ulcers and perforations in dogs. ANIMALS STUDIED Eighteen dogs of various breeds that presented with deep or perforating corneal ulcers. PROCEDURES Corneoconjunctival transposition grafts with or without ACell® were sutured using a simple interrupted 8-0 or 9-0 polyglactin 910 pattern. RESULTS A total of eighteen dogs (19 eyes) were diagnosed with deep corneal ulcers (n = 7) and perforating corneal ulcers (n = 12). A CCT was performed in all eyes, with ten of them additionally receiving an ACell® graft. The majority of lesions were located axially in 14/19 (81%) eyes. Grafts were harvested from dorsal (n = 8), temporal (n = 5), ventral (n = 4), or nasal (n = 2) quadrants. Brachycephalic breeds (13/18) were over-represented. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca was present in 10/19 eyes (52.6%). Bacterial isolates were cultured from 8/19 eyes. Post-operative therapy included topical antibiotics, plasma, cycloplegics, oral antibiotics, and oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. CCT integration with and without ACell® occurred at a median of 20 days (range 7-38 days) post-operatively with no significant difference between groups. Median follow-up time was 188 days. Short-term post-operative complications included granulation tissue formation (19/19), corneal edema (4/19), graft retraction (4/19), and anterior synechia (1/19). Long-term complications in 14 eyes with follow-up >30 days included superficial corneal pigmentation (6/14) and epithelial inclusion cysts (5/14). Two eyes were nonvisual at last follow-up due to cataract formation. CONCLUSIONS Corneoconjunctival transposition with ACell® can be utilized for corneal ulcer repair in dogs.