title: Keratocyte density after laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy with mitomycin C.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK) with mitomycin C (MMC) on the keratocyte population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective, nonrandomized, interventional, comparative case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-six eyes treated at Vissum Santa Hortensia, Madrid, Spain, were included in the study. We compared 28 eyes treated with LASEK with intraoperative 0.02% MMC versus 28 non-treated eyes. Keratocyte density was measured 3 months after the surgery in the anterior, mid, and posterior stroma and was compared with the corresponding layers in the control eyes. The anterior layer in the LASEK group was compared with 2 layers in the control group: the most anterior stromal layer and the 80 μm-deep layer, because that was the mean ablation depth performed in eyes that underwent LASEK.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a statistically significantly lower keratocyte population in the most anterior stromal layer after LASEK with MMC compared with both the most anterior stromal layer and the 80 μm-deep layer in controls. On the contrary, the treated group showed a significantly higher keratocyte density in both the mid stroma and the deep stroma. The comparison between the average densities through the entire cornea showed a significantly higher keratocyte population in the LASEK with MMC group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LASEK with MMC seems to cause a decrease in the anterior stromal cells 3 months after the surgery compared with nonoperated corneas. There seems to be a compensating proliferation of keratocytes in the deeper corneal layers, suggesting that the ability of keratocytes to repopulate the cornea is maintained after the surgical procedure.
authors.affiliation: Vissum Madrid, Spain. lbenito@vissum.com
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: de Benito Llopis
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Drake
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cañadas
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hernández-Verdejo
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Teus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000477:Alkylating Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002452:Cell Count; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000473:pathology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D049008:Keratectomy, Subepithelial, Laser-Assisted; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008875:Middle Aged; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009216:Myopia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000477:Alkylating Agents; D016685:Mitomycin