Evaluation of Mean Cell Area of Corneal Endothelium of Dogs Submitted to Phacoemulsification and Extracapsular Lens Extraction
*Prof. Dr. José Luiz Laus, MS, DVM, PhD, João Antonio Tadeu Pigatto, Jaime dos Santos Maia, Georgia Nadalini Rodrigues, Adriana Torrecilhas Jorge, Ivia CarmenTalieri
*Veterinary College - Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Rodovia Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n.
Jaboticabal, Sao Paulo, BR
jllaus@fcav.unesp.br
OBJECTIVES
The determination of the mean cellular area of the corneal endothelial after phacoemulsification and extracapsular lens extraction in dogs.
MATERIALS
The present research was conduced at the Ophthalmology Unit of the Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias - UNESP, Jaboticabal - São Paulo, Brazil. Six mongrel adult dogs ranging from 6 to 8 years old, weighing about 12 kg were submitted to bilateral lens extraction; phacoemulsification was performed in one eye and extracapsular lens extraction was conduced in the contralateral one. This study had the approval of institution's animal care and use committee and was in accordance with the ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) resolution concerning the use of animals in research. The scanning electron microscopy of the corneal endothelium was carried out two months later. Superior, central, and inferior regions of corneal endothelium were photographed and 100 cells of each region were evaluated. Analysis were conducted using Student test and values of p < 0.01 were considered significant.
RESULTS
The mean cell area for extracapsular lens extraction was higher in the superior and lower in the inferior regions when compared to the results observed in central cornea. There was also differences in the mean cell area in superior, inferior and central regions. The mean cell area was greater in the superior and lower in the inferior regions when performed the phacoemulsification technique, results that were compared to that seen in the central cornea. Differences for the mean corneal endothelial cellular area were noted when compared superior and inferior regions. These differences weren't significant for central and inferior regions and for central and superior. The mean cell area was significantly larger in eyes submitted to extracapsular lens extraction when compared to the phacoemulsification technique.
CONCLUSION
The results indicate that phacoemulsification induces less endothelial damage than extracapsular lens extractions techniques in dogs.
Acknowledgments: FAPESP: 98/03153-0, Alcon Brazil -SA, Schering Brazil SA, Intervet.