Healing of alkali burned rabbit corneas with persistent superficial ulceration after excimer laser phototherapeutic keratectomy. Clinical and electron microscopic findings.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate epithelial and stromal healing of kakali-bumed rabbit corneas with persistent superficial ulceration after phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK).


METHODS
36 rabbits (36 eyes), with superficial corneal ulcers, which were formed after 10% NaOH corneal burn, were used. PTK was performed on the 18th day after the burn in 18 rabbits. The base and edges of corneal ulcers in 18 other rabbits were scraped with scalpel on the 18th day after the burn (control group). Clinical course and electron microscopic changes of post-burn corneal ulcers were investigated after PTK and in the control group.


RESULTS
Clinical course of corneal ulcers has shown that PTK promoted corneal epithelialization and led to formation of less dense corneal opacities compared to control group. Electron microscopy investigations have shown that PTK (1) activated basal layer epithelial cells at the corneal ulcer edge; (2) accelerated epithelial basal complex renewal; (3) increased amount of macrophages with cytoplasmic inclusions of necrotic tissues in corneal stroma; (4) increased amount of fibroblasts with activated intracellular organellae in corneal stroma. It led to acceleration of corneal epithelization, cleaning of corneal stroma from necrotic tissues in the area of corneal ulcer and to more physiologic stromal architecture renewal.


CONCLUSIONS
PTK promotes healing of post-burn persistent corneal ulcers in rabbits.
Department of Eye Burns, Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery, Keratoplasty and Keratoprosthesis, The Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy.
Stanislav
S
Lakimenko
Oleksiy
O
Buznyk
Sergiy
S
Shchypun
Nataliya
N
Dumbrova
Nataliya
N
Molchanyuk
D000818:Animals; D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D003315:Cornea / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003320:Corneal Ulcer / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005126:Eye Burns / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006851:Hydrochloric Acid; D054018:Lasers, Excimer; D018903:Photorefractive Keratectomy / Q000379:methods*; D011817:Rabbits; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing
D006851:Hydrochloric Acid