Preoperative and Intraoperative Risk Factors for Short-Term Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss After Phacoemulsification in Dogs: A Comparative Study.

Objective: To investigate the short-term impact of phacoemulsification on corneal endothelial cells and corneal thickness and identify associated risk factors.

Animal studied: Twenty-four dogs (33 eyes) scheduled for phacoemulsification to treat cataracts were evaluated.

Procedures: Preoperative parameters, including age, axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth, and lens thickness (LT), were measured. Intraoperative parameters recorded included the average phacoemulsification power, absolute phacoemulsification time (APT), and effective phacoemulsification time (EPT). Corneal endothelial cell density (CED) and central corneal thickness (CCT) were assessed preoperatively and 1 month postoperatively using specular microscopy and optical coherence tomography, respectively.

Results: CED significantly decreased from 2085 ± 240 to 1741 ± 29 cells/mm² postoperatively, with an average reduction of 345 cells/mm² (16%). Endothelial cell damage was negatively correlated with AL and LT and positively correlated with APT and EPT. AL and APT were identified as independent predictors of endothelial cell loss, accounting for 35.6% of the variation. CCT increased from 597 ± 68 μm to 620 ± 60 μm postoperatively, with an average increase of 8 μm (2%); however, this change was not statistically significant. The increase in CCT was negatively correlated with LT. A comparison of preoperative and intraoperative parameters between patients with and without diabetes revealed significant differences in APT, EPT, and postoperative CED reduction.

Conclusions: Key factors influencing corneal endothelial cell damage in canine cataract patients undergoing phacoemulsification were identified. These findings suggest that shorter AL and prolonged APT may be risk factors for endothelial cell loss.