Title: Morphologic characteristics of corneal endothelium in cataract patients after phacoemulsification observed with confocal microscopy
Abstract: Objective To investigate with confocal microscopy about the morphological changes of central corneal endothelia in healthy old people after phacoemulsification. Design Prospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. Participants 19 (22 eyes) healthy age-related cataract patients. Methods The study was performed in patients who had been operated with phacoemulsifieation by the same ophthalmologist. Endothelial density and morphological changes in central cornea were examined with CMTF just before operation and on the day of 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after operation. Main Outcome Measures Endothelial density and endothelial morphological images with CMTF. Results CMTF images reveal that the shape of endothelium is quite different after phacoemulsification. Keratic precipitation, endothelial edema, endothelial absent area and pseudoguttata-like changes can be seen. Also, the resealing process of endothelium adjacent endothelial absent area can be observed. Before operation, the average endothelial density is 2491?02, while at the time points of 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after operation it was 2112?40, 2058?73, 2129?711, 2084?35, respectively, which are significantly lower than that before operation (P0.05). Conclusion Human corneal endothelial loss can't regenerate by mitosis; Endothelium injury after phacoemulsification can present as endothelial edema, endothelial absent area and pseudoguttata-like changes. The area of endothelial absence can be resealed by the neighbor endothelia.
Publication Year: 2006
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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