Posters

Clinical efficacy and microscopic changes of four corneal cross-linking techniques in the treatment of keratoconus

Poster Details

First Author: Q.Zeng CHINA

Co Author(s):    P. Song                    

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To compare the clinical efficacy of three kinds of transepithelial corneal cross-linking (CXL) and epithelium-off corneal corss linking in the treatment of keratoconus.

Setting:

Hankou Aier Eye Hospital, retrospective self-control study.

Methods:

Sixty-seven eyes of fifty-eight patients with keratoconus were enrolled, 9 patients received epithelium-off CXL, 14 patients received hypotonic CXL, 13 patients received iontophoresis CXL (I-CXL) for 5 minutes, 22 patients received iontophoresis CXL for 10 minutes. Preoperative and postoperative results of visual acuity, corneal tomography, optical coherence tomography, laser scanning confocal microscopy were collected used for statistical analysis.

Results:

At 12 months postoperatively, UDVA and CDVA improved significantly in 10 minutes I-CXL group. Kmax value remained stable in all four groups (all P>0.05). Subbasal nerve density in hypotonic CXL group did not change significantly, while the decreases in the other three groups were significant at 1, 3, and 6 months, and didn’t regain at 12 months in the epithelium-off group. The anterior stromal cells densities were decreased in all groups, especially in epithelium-off group and 10 minutes I-CXL group. The demarcation was deepest in epithelium-off group, followed by 10 minutes I-CXL group.

Conclusions:

Standard epithelium-off CXL and I-CXL for 10 minutes. could effectively halt the progression of keratoconus with similar microscopic corneal changes. Hypotonic CXL and I-CXL for 5 minutes show less effects on the cornea and need further long observation.

Financial Disclosure:

None