Lambeau de plexus sous-dermique de la lèvre supérieure chez une chienne atteinte d'un mélanome hypopigmenté de la paupière inférieure

A ten-years-old female German Shepherd dog was presented for recurrence of a lower eyelid hypopigmented melanoma. The tumor was developing on the all length and width of the eyelid. A large plastic surgery was performed by rotation of a subdermal plexus flap from the upper lip to restore the lower eyelid after the surgical removal of the tumor. Topical and systemic antibiotics were given at the completion of the surgery. No graft rejection was noticed during the follow-up examination and the lid function was not affected. Six months after the surgery, no recurrence was observed. Palpebral malignant melanomas are rare in veterinary ophthalmology. Despite their malignancy, very large excision remains inappropriate because of the need of preserving palpebral function. Several plastic surgery techniques allow the eyelid reconstruction with satisfactory cosmetic and functional results. The use of a subdermal plexus flap provides good results in cases where the tumor implies the lower eyelid. In human beings, malignant palpebral melanomas are often aggressive and lead to different plastic surgeries from veterinary ophthalmology. However they have to fulfill the same goals.