title: Wound healing process after corneal stromal thinning observed with anterior segment optical coherence tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to observe the wound healing process after corneal stromal thinning by using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) and a slit lamp.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four patients with corneal stromal thinning (2 patients: corneal iron foreign bodies; 2 patients: keratitis) were included. Serial AS-OCT and slit-lamp examinations were used to follow up the progress of these patients. The thicknesses of the whole cornea and the corneal stroma were measured with AS-OCT and compared with the findings observed during the slit-lamp examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AS-OCT showed that epithelial hypertrophy and hyperplasia initially occurred in the area of the corneal stromal thinning; subsequently, scar tissue formed in the area with an improvement in the thickness of the corneal stroma. This wound healing process was observed in all 4 patients. The scar tissue initially appeared opaque on slit-lamp examination and was characterized by a high signal produced on AS-OCT, which was different from the normal corneal stroma. The scar tissue gradually appeared clear on slit-lamp examination; however, the high signal on AS-OCT remained.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AS-OCT can be used to detect the wound healing process of corneal stromal thinning.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Ophthalmology, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan; and †Department of Medicine and Engineering, Combined Research Institute, Asahikawa Medical University, Asahikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsugiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Utsunomiya
authors.forename: Kazuomi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hanada
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Muramatsu
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishibazawa
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
authors.forename: Akitoshi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D065306:Corneal Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000473:pathology*; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D005129:Eye Foreign Bodies / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D007634:Keratitis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult