Abstract
Purpose: :
To describe the histopathological features of corneal buttons in both top-hat and mushroom configurations from Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Penetrating Keratoplasties.
Design: :
Retrospective case series
Methods: :
Hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid Schiff-stained slides from the corneal buttons of sixteen Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Penetrating Keratoplasties performed at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute between January 2006 and November 2009 were examined and the histologic findings described.
Results: :
A total of sixteen corneal buttons were examined. Seven of them were in a top-hat configuration, and nine of them were in a mushroom configuration. Among the corneal buttons with a top-hat configuration, five of them had a diagnosis of Fuchs’ corneal endothelial dystrophy, one had a diagnosis of scarring and vascularization with a history of Pseudomonas keratitis, and one had a diagnosis of scarring and vascularization in a failed graft. Among the corneal buttons with a mushroom configuration, eight had a diagnosis of keratoconus and one had a diagnosis of intrastromal deposits consistent with Avellino dystrophy. There were no signs of inflammation or coagulation necrosis at the cut edges.
Conclusions: :
Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Penetrating Keratoplasty specimens disclose the underlying corneal pathology without inflammatory or necrotic distortion of the tissues.
Keywords: cornea: stroma and keratocytes • transplantation