Evaluation of polymethylmethacrylate as ocular implant in rabbits subjected to evisceration

Arianne Pontes Oriá,Ana Letícia Groszewicz De Souza,Luís Alberto Dos Santos,Francisco De Assis Dórea Neto,Celina Tie Nishimori,Adriana Torrecilhas Jorge Brunelli,José Luiz Laus,Deusdete Conceição Gomes Junior,Evandro De Toledo Piza

doi:10.1590/s0034-737x2012000400004

Abstract

Spheres of different types of material are used for the replacement of lost volume after removal of the eye bulb or its content to prevent contraction of the orbital cavity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the scope of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) used as intraocular implant in eviscerated rabbit eye. Twelve New Zealand rabbits underwent unilateral evisceration of the left eye, with subsequent implantation of PMMA sphere 12 mm in diameter. Clinical evaluation was performed daily during the first 15 days after surgery and every 15 days until the end of the study period (180 days). For the histopathological analysis, three animals per trial underwent enucleation at 15, 45, 90 and 180 days after evisceration. There was no wound dehiscence, signs of infection or implant extrusion in any animal throughout the study period. Histological examination revealed the formation of fibrovascular tissue around the implants. The PMMA behaved as inert and non-integrable.

Highlights

Evaluation of polymethylmethacrylate as ocular implant in rabbits subjected to evisceration 453
Spheres of different types of material are used for the replacement of lost volume after removal of the eye bulb or its content to prevent contraction of the orbital cavity
The PMMA microspheres are still routinely used in veterinary medicine for improvement of the cosmetic disfigurement of patients (Spiess & Wallin Häkanson, 1999), and because of its low cost, convenience, and almost nonexistent adverse effects (Rahal et al, 2000b; Talieri et al, 2004), the aim of this study was to evaluate PMMA spheres as intraocular implants in rabbits subjected to evisceration

Summary

Introduction

Spheres of different types of material are used for the replacement of lost volume after removal of the eye bulb or its content to prevent contraction of the orbital cavity. A remarkable change in the types of material used for the fabrication of spheres occurred in the 1980s, with the appearance of integratable implants such as hydroxyapatite (Moshfeghi et al, 2000; Tari et al, 2009) and polyethylene (Moshfeghi et al, 2000; Schellini et al, 2003). The PMMA microspheres are still routinely used in veterinary medicine for improvement of the cosmetic disfigurement of patients (Spiess & Wallin Häkanson, 1999), and because of its low cost, convenience, and almost nonexistent adverse effects (Rahal et al, 2000b; Talieri et al, 2004), the aim of this study was to evaluate PMMA spheres as intraocular implants in rabbits subjected to evisceration

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion