Abstract
Purpose :
To investigate long term outcomes of ocular surface reconstruction with cultivated oral mucosal epithelial cell sheet transplantation (COMET) compared to allogenic limbal transplantation (LT).
Methods :
This study involved nineteen eyes of 19 patients with total limbal stem-cell deficiency who received COMET and sixteen eyes of 16 patients who received LT. Medical charts were retrospectively reviewed. Average age was 62±17 years in COMET, and 64±15 years in LT. Average follow-up period following COMET and LT were 6.5±3.2 years, 2.7±2.1years, respectively, and longer than one year for all cases. Patients were divided into two groups in terms of causative disease: severe case group by Stevens-Johnson syndrome or ocular pemphigoid, mild case group by other disease. Generalized estimation equations regression model was used to analyze postoperative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), corneal opacity, corneal neovascularization.
Results :
In severe case group, postoperative CDVA and corneal opacity following COMET was significantly better than LT (p=0.0001, p=0.007, respectively). The difference in corneal neovascularization was not significant. In mild case group, postoperative CDVA and corneal opacity following COMET was significantly better than LT (p=0.0001, p=0.008, respectively). The difference in corneal neovascularization was not significant.
Conclusions :
Postoperative visual acuity and corneal opacity following cultivated oral mucosal epithelial cell sheet transplantation was better compared to allogenic limbal transplantation.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.