Eye Lid Reconstruction Following Extensive Ulcerated Tumour Excision in Two Dogs

Abstract

This paper describes successful surgical management of eye lid tumour excision with reconstruction of eye lids in two dogs that were presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, Trinidad.  One was an eleven-year-old mixed breed dog presented with a large ulcerated soft tissue mass involving the lower lateral eyelid that was confirmed as mast cell tumour.  The other was a ten-year-old Pitbull with a 3 cm darkly pigmented haemorrhagic mass in the lower eyelid, confirmed as melanoma.  Following surgical removal of the mass, the eyelid was reconstructed with a lip-to –lid transposition in both dogs.  While the flap was successfully received in the mixed breed, it devitalized and failed in the Pitbull.  Revision surgery to reconstruct lower eyelid defect with a local transposition flap and an oral mucosal graft for conjunctival mucosal lining wTas carried out, successfully.  In conclusions lip-to-lid flap and local transposition flaps with oral mucosal graft are effective and viable alternative surgical techniques for the reconstruction of eyelid defects following excision of extensive tumours.