title: Limbal allografting from living-related donors to treat partial limbal deficiency secondary to ocular chemical burns.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate outcomes of limbal allograft transplantation from living-related donors to treat partial limbal deficiency secondary to ocular chemical burns.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective noncomparative case series comprising 17 patients (17 eyes) with partial limbal deficiency (≤50%) secondary to ocular alkali burns (11 eyes) or acid burns (6 eyes). Recipient eyes were treated by removing the conjunctivalized pannus. Superior limbal grafts (mean length, 3-5 clock hours) from HLA antigen-matched living-related donors were transplanted into deficient areas of recipient eyes. No recipients received systemic cyclosporin A therapy. Main outcome measures included corneal reepithelialization, reduction in vascularity, improved corneal clarity, and best-corrected visual acuity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All eyes achieved epithelialization a mean (SD) of 10.1 (1.9) days after surgery. Corneal reepithelialization, reduction in vascularity, and improved corneal opacity were seen in all eyes. No eyes demonstrated recurrent epithelial defects or fibrovascular tissue, but gradual recurrence of peripheral corneal vascularization was observed in 7 eyes during the follow-up period. Allograft rejection developed in 3 eyes (17.6%), all of which were successfully treated. Best-corrected visual acuity improved in all eyes, and 10 eyes (58.8%) had achieved best-corrected visual acuity of 0.5 or better (≥20/10 Snellen) at the last follow-up visit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transplantation of limbal tissue from live-related donors successfully reconstructed the ocular surface. Long-term graft survival in patients with partial limbal deficiency secondary to ocular chemical burns can be accomplished without the use of systemic immunosuppression.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. htls2009@yahoo.cn
authors: Ting
authors: T
authors: Huang
authors: Yujuan
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: Hong
authors: H
authors: Zhang
authors: Na
authors: N
authors: Gao
authors: Andina
authors: A
authors: Hu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002057:Burns, Chemical / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D002648:Child; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000637:transplantation*; D005126:Eye Burns / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D016850:Limbus Corneae / Q000473:pathology*; D019520:Living Donors; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult