Keratocyte migration and repopulation of corneal stroma in dehydrated donor lamella in descemetic and pre descemetic anterior lamellar keratoplasty

Session Details

Session Title: Presented Poster Session: Cornea - Surgical

Session Date/Time: Saturday 05/09/2015 | 15:00-16:30

Paper Time: 15:20

Venue: Poster Village: Pod 4

First Author: : P.Bonci ITALY

Co Author(s): :    P. Bonci   P. Leonetti           

Abstract Details

Purpose:

The aim of this study is to investigate the ability of the host keratocytes to colonize the donor lamella transplanted without any viable cells (dehydrated) in Descemetic (Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty, DALK) and in pre Descemetic conditions (Excimer Laser-assisted Lamellar Keratoplasty, ELLK).

Setting:

KERATOPLASTY

Methods:

17 eyes (8 DALK, 9 ELLK) were included in the observational retrospective study; patients underwent ophthalmic examinations, including anterior segment measurements by optical coherence tomography and confocal microscopy. Histological staining were performed ex vivo on graft in cases of failure.

Results:

In Descemetic condition, the long term survival of graft is compromised with central corneal thickness decreasing; corneal packymetry and in vivo and ex vivo keratocyte density are strongly reduced. In pre-Descemetic condition, clinical complications, central thickness reduction or alterations of keratocyte density were not observed.

Conclusions:

In Descemetic condition, where centripetal movement of host keratocytes is the only way of repopulation of donor stroma, migration of host peripheral keratocytes seems not enough to repopulate donor graft. In pre-Descemetic condition, where the ways of repopulation of donor stroma are centripetal and vertical movements of host keratocytes, the long term survival of graft is good. Keratocyte repopulation was observed only by a wide contact between donor and host parenckyma.

Financial Interest:

NONE