Abstract
Purpose :
This study aimed to objectively assess the long-term corneal epithelial recovery after autologous simple limbal epithelial transplantation (SLET) for ocular burn-induced unilateral limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD).
Methods :
This cross-sectional clinical imaging and diagnostic study included patients who had undergone autologous SLET for the treatment of total limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) secondary to ocular burns. All patients were assessed at a single follow-up visit between 5-10 years post-procedure with slit-lamp biomicroscopy (SLB), in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM), Scheimpflug imaging (SI), anterior segment optical coherence tomography (ASOCT), and impression cytology (IC). The objective parameters that were assessed using these imaging and diagnostic modalities were corneal epithelial phenotype, epithelial thickness, and epithelial clarity/reflectivity. The parameters in the normal donor eye served as the control.
Results :
The study analyzed imaging and diagnostic data from 94 eyes of 47 patients, with a median follow-up of 6 years post-autologous SLET. Normal corneal epithelial phenotype, as assessed by SLB, IVCM, and IC, was observed in 74.5% of the recipient eyes (35 out of 47). This group also showed normalization of corneal epithelial thickness, measured by SI and ASOCT, and normal epithelial clarity, noted on SBM and ASOCT, comparable to healthy donor eyes. In contrast, the remaining 25.5% (12 out of 47) of eyes displayed partial restoration of one or more of these parameters.
Conclusions :
The findings of this study show that after autologous SLET for ocular burn-induced unilateral total LSCD, there is a long-term and sustained recovery in terms of corneal epithelial phenotype, thickness, and clarity.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.