Induction of controlled wound healing with PMMA segments in the deep stroma in corneas of hens.
OBJECTIVE
Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) segments are normally used in additive surgery to treat both corneal ectasia post laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis and keratoconus. The aim of this work was to develop an experimental animal model to induce wound healing in the deep stroma in corneas of hens.


METHODS
PMMA segments were implanted in the right eyes of 40 adult hens without suture in the wound incision. Animals were randomized for 5 time points to histopathology study (1, 3, 15, 30, and 90 days) being clinically evaluated during the experiment.


RESULTS
Thirty-four eyes (85%) had a successful clinical outcome and intraoperative mistakes occurred in 6 eyes (15%), including anterior chamber perforation resulting in abscess (1), excess of lamellar dissection with segment migration (3), and peripheral incisions evolving with neovascularization (2). At 24 hours, all the epithelial injuries were completed in integrity, but a persistent stromal incision, with a fish mouth form, was observed until day 15. Corneal edema disappeared at the fifth day. Haze, keratocyte cell death, keratocyte proliferation, myofibroblast differentiation, and new matrix production were observed in length around the segment.


CONCLUSIONS
Wound healing was induced in the deep corneal stroma by means of PMMA segment implantation in a new animal model developed in hens.
Merayo-Lloves
Jesus
J
IOBA, University of Valladolid, Spain.
Blanco-Mezquita
Tomas
T
Ibares-Frias
Lucia
L
Fabiani
Larisa
L
Alvarez-Barcia
Angel
A
Martinez-Garcia
Carmen
C
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002645:Chickens; D015715:Corneal Edema / Q000503:physiopathology; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000601:surgery*; D004108:Dilatation, Pathologic / Q000601:surgery; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D007640:Keratoconus / Q000601:surgery; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate