title: Corneal dystrophies. II. Endothelial dystrophies.
abstract: In general, endothelial dystrophies present three types of clinical manifestations: 1) production of collagenous tissue posterior to Descemet's membrane which appears as cornea guttata, polymorphic excrescences or gray sheets; 2) a disrupted endothelial mosaic in specular reflection; and 3) corneal edema as a reflection of decreased endothelial barrier and pump functions. In this review, the authors discuss three endothelial dystrophies -- Fuchs', posterior polymorphous and congenital hereditary. They describe the clinical, histopathologic and biochemical features, and illustrate each dystrophy with a composite drawing. Dystrophies of the epithelium, Bowman's layer, and stroma were reviewed separately in the September-October 1978 issue of this journal.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003317:Corneal Dystrophies, Hereditary / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D003886:Descemet Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D004727:Endothelium / Q000473:pathology; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005642:Fuchs' Endothelial Dystrophy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning