Characterisation of corneal endothelial cells in keratoconus: a confocal microscopic study

Session Details

Session Title: Presented Poster Session: Medical Cornea

Venue: Poster Village: Pod 3

First Author: : M.Irkec TURKEY

Co Author(s): :    O. Dikmetas   S. Kocabeyoglu                    

Abstract Details

Purpose:

Keratoconus (KC) is a corneal ectatic disease resulting from progressive focal thinning of the cornea causing irregular astigmatism and blurring of vision. It causes considerable alterations of the corneal cellular structure. In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) is becoming an indispensable tool for studying corneal physiology and disease. Previous studies using IVCM revealed that cellular alterations in keratoconus include decreased basal cell, keratocyte and endothelium cell densities and increased polymegathism and pleomorphism. However, the literature on morphological changes of keratoconus is limited. In this study, we evaluated the cellular characteristics of endothelial cells in patients with keratoconus.

Setting:

Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology

Methods:

A total of 91 eyes with keratoconus and 91 healthy eyes without any ocular disease were included. Patients with keratoconus were in the stage 2 keratoconus according to the Amsler–Krumeich Classification. Corneal endothelial cells were analyzed for number of endothelium, pleomorphism and polymeghatism using IVCM. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test. The independent sample t-test was used to compare the difference in means between healthy eyes and keratoconus.  All the tests were two tailed, and a P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

Ninety-one eyes of 91 clinically diagnosed patients with keratoconus (55 males and 36 females) and 91 non-keratoconic eyes (32 males and 59 females) as control geoup were evaluated for the study. The mean (standard deviation) ages of the patients with keratoconus and healthy subjects were 39.297.14 and 38.5712.34 years (p=0.781). In the keratoconus group, level of pleomorphism 54.26±12.58 and 45.75±12.10 (P< 0.001). In the keratoconus group, average of polymeghatism was 42.37% and in the control group was 40.22% (P =0.87).The mean endothelial cell density of keratoconic eyes was not significantly different from healthy eyes. (P= 0.073)

Conclusions:

The pathological process of keratoconus involves all layers of the cornea. Confocal microscopy observation showed significant changes in corneal cell morphology in keratoconic cornea from normal healthy cornea. Understanding the corneal cell morphology changes in keratoconus was suggestive of progressive cellular changes in the cornea with the progression of the disease.

Financial Disclosure:

None