title: Massive corneal edema treated with corneal cross-linking.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Massive corneal edema disrupts the fine architecture of corneal stroma that guarantees its transparency, causing opacities that seriously impair clear vision and are usually solved by corneal transplant. Corneal cross-linking, a treatment developed to halt keratoconus progression, results in a loss of water and a compaction of corneal stroma. It might therefore be useful to improve the pathologic edematous condition of some corneas, ameliorating visual acuity and allowing more time for a surgical procedure of keratoplasty.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six patients with visual impairing corneal edemas further to lens phacoemulsification, penetrating keratoplasty, or post-infective neovascularization were treated with corneal cross-linking alone, or in combination with amniotic membrane apposition with or without anti-angiogenic therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients partly resolved the edematous condition, improving both corneal transparency and visual acuity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Corneal cross-linking appears to be a useful method to treat massive corneal edemas, so that keratoplasty can be at least delayed, and need not to be an emergency treatment in these cases.
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmic Complex Operating Unit, IRCCS-Hospital Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo (Foggia), Italy. antoniolaborante@virgilio.it
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laborante
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Buzzonetti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Longo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D001684:Biological Dressings; D003094:Collagen / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003263:Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic; D015715:Corneal Edema / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058447:Eye Pain / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015948:Keratoplasty, Penetrating; D008297:Male; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D012256:Riboflavin / Q000528:radiation effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D003094:Collagen; D012256:Riboflavin