| Confocal Microscopic Changes in the Cornea 10 Years After Photorefractive Keratectomy. |
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Min Kyu Shin, Gi Hong Koo, Jong Soo Lee |
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Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea. jongsool@pusan.ac.kr |
| 굴절교정레이저각막절제술 10년 후 각막조직의 공초점현미경 소견 |
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신민규ㆍ구기홍ㆍ이종수 |
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Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Pusan, Korea |
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| Abstract |
PURPOSE
The present study compares, using a new generation high-resolution in vivo confocal microscope, the corneas of patients who underwent photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) 10 years previously with those of healthy persons. CASE SUMMARY: A confocal microscope (Confoscan 4.0, Fortune Technology, Italy) was used to get the data from healthy volunteers and patients. Corneal cross-sectional images of the epithelium, Bowman's layer, stromal layer (anterior, middle and posterior keratocyte), Descemet's membrane, and endothelium were compared. In PRK corneas, the superficial epithelium was nearly intact and the subbasal nerve plexus was visible, but some hyperreflective areas were also found in the nerve plexus. Because of the absence of the Bowman's layer, some ECM and keratocytes were visualized in their optical section. Although anterior keratocytes showed uneven distribution with less cellularity, middle and posterior keratocytes looked unaffected. Likewise, there were no differences in the endothelium between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ten years after PRK, the subbasal nerve plexus and anterior keratocytes showed histologic changes after corneal wound recovery. |
| Key Words:
Confocal microscopy;Photorefractive keratectomy |
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