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Surface topography and 3-dimensional confocal profiling of femtosecond and mechanical microkeratome dissected posterior human corneal buttons

Session Details

Session Title: Corneal Femtosecond

Session Date/Time: Monday 07/10/2013 | 14:30-16:30

Paper Time: 15:06

Venue: Elicium 1 (First Floor)

First Author: : M.Dickman THE NETHERLANDS

Co Author(s): :    M. van Maris   F. van Marion   F. van den Biggelaar   T. Berendschot   R. Nuijts  

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To determine the feasibility of confocal profiling in measuring surface roughness and obtaining three-dimensional surface reconstructions of posterior lamellar grafts for endothelial keratoplasty and to measure and compare the surface roughness of posterior corneal buttons harvested by a femtosecond (FS) laser platform and two mechanical microkeratomes (MK).

Setting:

University Eye Clinic Maastricht, Maastricht, The Netherlands, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, Euro Cornea Bank, Beverwijk, The Netherlands.

Methods:

Endothelial buttons were harvested from 18 human corneas unsuitable for transplantation with the Intralase FS60 laser (Abbott Medical Optics, Santa Anna, Ca.; n=4) and the Moria ALTK (Moria, Antony, France; n=6) or the Gebauer SLc MKs (Gebauer Medizintechnik, Neuhausen, Germany; n=8). Following dissection the endothelial buttons were fixed in 3.0% glutaraldehyde and examined using a confocal profiler (Sensofar PLu 2300, Terrassa, Spain) and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) (FEI-Quanta 600; Hillsboro, OR). Linear mixed model analysis was used to quantify the difference in surface roughness between the different dissection techniques

Results:

Confocal profiling was able to obtain quantitative surface roughness measurements and high resolution 3-dimensional reconstructions of the central 2x1.5 mm2 area of the dissected buttons. ESEM evaluation allowed wide field analysis at lower magnification which corresponded well with the 3-dimensional confocal reconstructions. Surface roughness of FS dissected buttons (RMS =1.89 µm) was significantly higher compared with the Moria (RMS=1.05 µm) and Gebauer MKs (RMS=0.92 µm) (p<0.01). However, there was no significant difference between the surface roughness of the MK dissected buttons (p=0.29) despite ultrastructural differences between the buttons as demonstrated by the 3-dimensional reconstruction and ESEM analysis.

Conclusions:

FS laser dissection of corneal buttons results in significantly rougher stromal surfaces compared to mechanical MKs. MK dissected corneal buttons did not differ in surface roughness. Confocal profiling, a novel non-contact optical profiling method, enables submicron surface roughness measurements and 3-dimensional reconstructions of large areas of human corneal buttons, corresponding well with qualitative 2-dimensional ESEM imaging. This innovative and objective technology may be useful for quality judgement of lamellar dissection techniques.

Financial Interest:

NONE