Amniotic membrane grafts for nontraumatic corneal perforations, descemetoceles, and deep ulcers.
PURPOSE: To describe the clinical outcome of amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) for nontraumatic corneal perforations, descemetoceles, and deep ulcers. DESIGN: Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-four eyes of 33 consecutive patients operated on for nontraumatic corneal perforations or descemetoceles at four academic departments of ophthalmology. Associated autoimmune disorders included rheumatoid arthritis (n = 6), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (n = 3), ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (n = 2), systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 1), and one eye with Mooren's ulcer, as well as neurotrophic, or exposure keratopathy (n = 10), postinfectious nonhealing ulcers (n = 6), and postsurgery (n = 5). INTERVENTION: Three or four layers of amniotic membrane (AM) were applied over the ulcer bed and anchored with 10-0 nylon interrupted or running sutures. A large AM piece was used as a patch to cover the entire corneal surface. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Formation of anterior chamber depth, epithelialization of the AM grafts, and stability of the corneal stromal thickness. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 8.1 +/- 5.7 (ranging from 2-23) months. A successful result was observed in 28 of 34 eyes (82.3%). Of the successful cases, 23 eyes needed one AMT procedure, whereas 5 eyes needed two procedures to achieve a successful result. In five eyes, a subsequent definitive surgical procedure such as penetrating keratoplasty or lid surgery was needed. Failure was observed in six eyes with rheumatoid arthritis, neurotrophic keratopathy, or graft melting. CONCLUSIONS: AMT is an effective method for managing nontraumatic corneal perforations and descemetoceles. It can serve as either a permanent therapy or as a temporizing measure until the inflammation has subsided and a definitive reconstructive procedure can be performed. This treatment option is also beneficial in those countries where corneal tissue availability is limited.[1]References
- Amniotic membrane grafts for nontraumatic corneal perforations, descemetoceles, and deep ulcers. Solomon, A., Meller, D., Prabhasawat, P., John, T., Espana, E.M., Steuhl, K.P., Tseng, S.C. Ophthalmology (2002) [Pubmed]
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