A multicenter retrospective study on cryopreserved amniotic membrane transplantation for the treatment of complicated corneal ulcers in the dog

Objective To describe the surgical technique and outcome of amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) for treatment of complicated corneal ulcers in dogs. Animals studied One hundred and eleven dogs. Procedure Medical records (2010-2017) were reviewed to identify canine patients that underwent AMT for the treatment of complicated corneal ulcers. Quantitative and ordinal variables were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher's Exact test. Results Brachycephalic breeds were overrepresented (74/111; 66.6%). Three dogs were bilaterally affected. Fifty-one had melting ulcers (51/114; 44.7%), 33 stromal ulcers (33/63; 52.4%), 17 descemetoceles (17/63; 27%), and 13 perforations (13/63;20.6%). Mean defect size was 6.2 mm (2-18 mm). Human (32/114; 28.1%) or bovine (82/114; 71.9%) (AmnioVet(R)) cryopreserved amniotic membranes were used. Monolayer (31/114; 27.2%), bilayer (44/114; 38.6%) or multilayer technique (39/114; 34.2%) was performed, being anchored to the limbus (52/114; 45.6%), to the defect (48/114; 42.1%) or both (14/114; 12.3%). Mean epithelial healing and follow-up times were 25.6 days (15-45) and 98.7 days (21-400), respectively. Most common postsurgical complications included pigmentation (10/114; 8.8%) and graft failure (5/114; 4.4%). Depth and size of corneal lesions, human amniotic membrane (AM) and concurrent ocular diseases were associated with more complications (P < 0.05). Good cosmetic and visual outcomes were achieved in 99.1% (113/114) and 97.4% (111/114) of cases, respectively. Zero to low graft opacity was seen in 23.9% of the eyes (27/113), mild to moderate in 64.6% (73/113) and complete in 11.5% (13/113). Conclusions Cryopreserved AMT is an effective surgical technique for the treatment of complicated corneal ulcers in the dog, with highly satisfactory visual and cosmetic outcomes.