Abstract
Purpose :
To characterize corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), the proportion of low ECD, cornea guttata (CG), Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD), and the estimated annual rate of ECD loss in Mexican patients scheduled for cataract surgery.
Methods :
A prospective, cross-sectional, observational, descriptive study was conducted on consecutive patients aged 40 years and older scheduled for cataract surgery between the years 2018 and 2019. The study was carried out at the Ophthalmology Department of the University Hospital of the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon in Mexico. All patients underwent preoperative non-contact endothelial specular microscopy (CellChek XL, Konan, Japan). One eye per patient was included, determined either by the eye with more advanced cornea guttata or, in the case of patients without guttata, the right eye. The analysis encompassed included parameters such as ECD, coefficient of variation (CV), hexagonality (HEX), average size (AVE), as well as the identification of cornea guttata and FECD with slit-lamp. Chi-squared test was used to compare categorical variables, student t-test and one-way ANOVA to compare numerical variables, and linear regression and Pearson's correlation to analyze ECD loss. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results :
1372 eyes from 1372 patients were included, the mean age was 67.4 ±10 years, 60.6% were females. Mean ECD was 2406.8 ± 410.4 (male: 2393.0 ± 418.3, female: 2415.8 ±405.1, p = 0.315) cell/mm2, mean CV, HEX, and AVE, were 36.6 ±5.8%, 55.85 ±8.0% and 431.5 ±109.9, respectively. Low ECD (<2000 cell/mm2) was observed in 14.7% of patients. Prevalence of CG was 7.3% (male: 6.1%, female: 8.1%) and FECD 1.8% (male: 1.5%, female: 2%). No statistically significant differences between genders were found in any of the analyzes performed (p>0.05). Estimated rate of ECD loss was 0.39% per year.
Conclusions :
Among individuals undergoing preoperative cataract surgery in Mexico, the average ECD was 2406.8 ± 410. 14.7% of the patients showed low ECD, 7.3% had CG, and 1.8% had Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD). The prevalence of cornea guttata in this population aligns with findings from other studies, although there is variability noted across different studies.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.