Clinical outcome of autologous cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation.
OBJECTIVE
To report the clinical outcome of autologous cultivated limbal epithelial transplantation.


METHODS
Eighty-six patients' records and their clinical photographs were reviewed for demographics, primary etiology, type of limbal transplantation, ocular surface stability, visual acuity, final outcome and possible factors affecting outcome and complications.


RESULTS
Eighty-eight eyes of 86 patients with limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) underwent autologous cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation between March 2001 and May 2003, with a mean follow-up of 18.3 months. The etiology of LSCD was alkali burns in 64% patients. Sixty-one eyes had total LSCD. Thirty-two of the 88 eyes had undergone amniotic membrane transplantation and 10 eyes had previously undergone limbal transplantation with unfavorable outcome. Nineteen eyes underwent penetrating keratoplasty, of which 11 grafts survived at the final follow-up. Finally, 57 eyes (73.1%, 95% CI: 63.3-82.9) had a successful outcome with a stable ocular surface without conjunctivalization, 21 eyes (26.9%, 95%CI: 17.1-36.7) were considered failures and 10 patients were lost to follow-up.


CONCLUSIONS
LSCD can be successfully treated by autologous cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation in majority of the cases.
Sudhakar and Sreekanth Ravi Stem Cell Biology Laboratory, L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, India. vsangwan@lvpei.org
Virender S
VS
Sangwan
Himanshu P
HP
Matalia
Geeta K
GK
Vemuganti
Anees
A
Fatima
Ghazala
G
Ifthekar
Shashi
S
Singh
Rishita
R
Nutheti
Gullapalli N
GN
Rao
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016039:Corneal Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000166:cytology / Q000637:transplantation*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D016850:Limbus Corneae / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity