Results of 654 trans-pars plana vitrectomies of equine eyes with recurrent uveitis - follow-up until 18 years after surgery

Wollanke, Bettina; Gerhards, Hartmut und Schinagl, Christine (2021): Results of 654 trans-pars plana vitrectomies of equine eyes with recurrent uveitis - follow-up until 18 years after surgery. In: Pferdeheilkunde, Bd. 37, Nr. 3: S. 204-214

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the long-term success of trans-pars plana vitrectomy as a surgical treatment for equine recurrent uveitis (ERU). The focus was on postoperative recurrences of bouts of uveitis, unexpected development of cataracts or retinal detachments in eyes with early stages of ERU at the time of surgery, and the long-term preservation of the globe and vision. A total of 2158 vitrectomies were performed at the LMU Clinic for Horses from January 1997 to September 2015. Between April 2015 and August 2016, 654 of the vitrectomised eyes of 549 horses were followed up. The ophthalmological findings were evaluated either in a follow-up examination (105 eyes of 90 horses) or by telephone interviews with attending veterinarians and horse owners (549 eyes of 459 horses). The mean time of the follow-up examination was 7.7 years after vitrectomy (0.5 years up to 18 years). A recurrence of ERU was prevented in a total of 96.3 % of the eyes that underwent vitrectomy. Recurrence of ERU was prevented in 97.1 % of all eyes tested positive for an intraocular leptospiral infection at the time of surgery. The long-term preservation of vision succeeded in 413/549 eyes (75.2 %, information given by attending veterinarians and horse owners) and 85/105 eyes (81 %, follow-up examinations by one of the authors), respectively. The long-term preservation of the globe was successful in 617 of the 654 operated eyes (94.3 %) regardless of the postoperative recurrence of uveitis and preservation of vision. Thus, the current study demonstrates that pars plana vitrectomy is an extremely successful surgical treatment of Leptospira-associated ERU that has long-term success in stopping the ERU-related progressing destruction of the eye, keeping the eye pain-free and, furthermore, in the case of early surgical intervention, preventing blindness. Cessation of uveitis and the prognosis for the long-term preservation of vision could best be achieved by surgical intervention at an early stage of the disease.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Tiermedizin > Zentrum für Klinische Tiermedizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 0177-7726
• Sprache: Englisch