title: In vivo confocal microscopy of the cornea to assess tissue regenerative response after biomaterial implantation in humans.
abstract: Laser-scanning in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) of the cornea is becoming an increasingly popular tool to examine the living human cornea with cellular-level detail in both healthy and pathologic states. Here, we describe the use of the IVCM technique to examine the processes of tissue healing and regeneration in the living human eye after biomaterial implantation. The regenerative response can be assessed by performing longitudinal IVCM imaging of a laboratory-made, cell-free biomaterial, after direct implantation into a pathologic eye as a primary alternative to human donor tissue transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Ophthalmology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lagali
authors.forename: May
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fagerholm
mesh_terms: D003315:Cornea / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D060527:Corneal Keratocytes / Q000473:pathology; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000473:pathology; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods; D009416:Nerve Regeneration; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D012038:Regeneration; D016896:Treatment Outcome