Amniotic membrane transplantation elicits goblet cell repopulation after conjunctival reconstruction in a case of severe ocular cicatricial pemphigoid.
OBJECTIVE
The surgical procedures used until now to rebuild the conjunctiva in patients affected by ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) have not demonstrated appreciable anatomical and functional success. This study reports the postoperative clinical and cytological outcomes of a human amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) to rebuild the conjunctiva in a case of late stage OCP.


METHODS
We present a 75-year-old woman with a severe form of pemphigoid with entropion, trichiasis, symblepharon and blunting of the fornices, who underwent excision of the scarred and inflamed tissue covering the ocular surface and AMT.


RESULTS
Our data show an improvement of the ocular surface condition, with reacquired fornix depth, reduced inflammation and presence of goblet cells at each follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
Amniotic membrane transplantation was successful as a first step procedure to reduce inflammation and to rebuild a physiological conjunctival epithelium in late stage OCP.
Barabino
Stefano
S
Department of Neurological and Visual Sciences - Ophthalmology R., University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. sbarabi@tin.it
Rolando
Maurizio
M
D000368:Aged; D000650:Amnion / Q000637:transplantation*; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D003231:Conjunctivitis / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D004774:Entropion / Q000209:etiology; D005140:Eyelashes / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D020397:Goblet Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006201:Hair Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D010390:Pemphigoid, Benign Mucous Membrane / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D014021:Tissue Preservation