Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this study was to confirm the presence of specific patterns of epithelial response in corneal buttons from keratoconus patients. Methods This was a retrospective and descriptive study. 90 penetrating keratoplasty specimens obtained from patients diagnosed with keratoconus were evaluated using bright-field microscopy. Morphologically identifiable characteristics including epithelial cell density and epithelial thickness were analyzed on hematoxylin and eosin- (H&E-) and periodic acid of Schiff- (PAS-) stained slides. Results Three distinctive patterns of epithelial alteration of the central cornea were established. Pattern 3, in which the central epithelium was as thick as peripheral epithelium, was the commonest (44.4%), followed by the pattern 2, defined as central epithelium thinner than periphery epithelium (38.9%), and the uncommonest pattern was number 1, with central epithelium thicker than the periphery (16.7%). Conclusions Three distinctive histologic patterns that could potentially have a diagnostic and prognostic value in keratoconus patients were found.
Highlights
Keratoconus (KC) is a chronic progressive bilateral and asymmetric corneal ectasia affecting approximately 1/2,000 people in North America [1]
Ere are no statistically significant differences in all the patterns analyzed for both central (p 0.08) and peripheral stroma (p 0.32). It is very well-known that central corneal epithelium in KC responds with characteristic compensatory changes ranging from hypertrophy and hyperplasia to atrophy
We have not detected in the bibliographic search the description of the three patterns that we have found. ese three
Summary
Sara Crespo Millas ,1 Jose Carlos Lopez, Elena Garcıa-Lagarto, Estibaliz Obregon, Denise Hileeto, Miguel J. Received 8 March 2020; Revised 23 June 2020; Accepted 13 July 2020; Published 30 July 2020. E purpose of this study was to confirm the presence of specific patterns of epithelial response in corneal buttons from keratoconus patients. Is was a retrospective and descriptive study. 90 penetrating keratoplasty specimens obtained from patients diagnosed with keratoconus were evaluated using bright-field microscopy. Identifiable characteristics including epithelial cell density and epithelial thickness were analyzed on hematoxylin and eosin- (H&E-) and periodic acid of Schiff- (PAS-) stained slides. Ree distinctive patterns of epithelial alteration of the central cornea were established. Ree distinctive histologic patterns that could potentially have a diagnostic and prognostic value in keratoconus patients were found Conclusions. ree distinctive histologic patterns that could potentially have a diagnostic and prognostic value in keratoconus patients were found
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