The keratoconus epithelium studied by SEM.
A keratoconus removed from an 18-year-old male was processed for SEM and examined with special attention for the epithelial surface. A broad degenerative band was found running in the vertical meridian, showing areas devoid of, or with only partially attached, epithelial cells, and also areas with abnormal cells either, with a defective cell membrane and without cell contents or with an intact cell membrane but without a cell nucleus. Stereoscopic images of these defective cells show that cell degeneration is sometimes found several cell layers deep into the epithelium.
Jongebloed
W L
WL
Centre for Medical Electronmicroscopy, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Worst
J F
JF
D000293:Adolescent; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007640:Keratoconus / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning