PHOTOCOAGULATION OF LIMBAL MELANOMA IN DOGS AND CATS - 15 CASES (1989-1993)

Objective-To evaluate immediate clinical effects and long-term results of neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser treatment of limbal melano ma in dogs and cats. Design-Retrospective case series. Animals-13 dogs and 2 cats. Results-At the time of treatment, 9 tumors were progressi vely enlarging and 4 were static. Recent growth characteristics of 2 t umors were not reported. Total energy applied ranged from 7.5 to 572 J . In all eyes, pigmented tissue shrank after treatment; however, 3 tum ors recurred, 1 at 3 months and 2 at 1 year after treatment. Clinical Implications-Photocoagulation may be an effective means of treating li mbal melanoma in dogs and cats.