title: Preliminary study of the association between corneal histocytological changes and surgically induced astigmatism after phacoemulsification.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) was one of the factors that influences the desirable refractive outcome, and it was related to the length, type, location, structure of the incision and to the suture closure technique, etc. The aim was to evaluate the association of corneal histocytological changes with SIA after phacoemulsification.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study enrolled 68 cases of cataract patient (68 eyes). Corneal histocytological parameters at corneal incision, central cornea and contralateral incision obtained by confocal microscope through focusing (CMTF) were compared preoperatively and 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months postoperatively. These biometric parameters included the endothelial cell density, keratocyte density of posterior stromal layer, and the morphological changes. SIA was calculated by Jaffe's vector analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1 From preoperatively to 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months and 6 months postoperatively, the endothelail cell density was decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Keratocyte density of posterior stroma layer was increased significantly only at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months postoperatively (p <0.05), but not statistically significant (p = 0.173) at 6 months postoperatively compared to preoperative values. 2 The histocytological observations indicated that the morphology changed significantly postoperatively at the corneal incision, including the cell absent area, wave-like area, dot-like and mass-like hyperreflection, stripe-like absent area, in the endothelial layer, and the keratocyte activation, microfolds, irregular hyporeflective or hyperreflective belt, and a little dot-like hyperreflection in the posterior stroma layer. 3 The reduction of the endothelial cell density at the corneal incision at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month postoperatively, were positively correlated with SIA (P1 week = 0.003, P2 weeks = 0.003, P1 month = 0.032), while others were not associated with SIA statistically.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The reduction of endothelail cell density and the histocytological changes at the corneal incision were associated with SIA. The underlining mechanism needs further study.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, the Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Qingdao University(AHMCQU), NO, 16 Jiangsu Road, 266003 Qingdao, Shandong province, China. zhaoguiqiu_good@126.com.
authors.forename: Guiqiu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ang
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001251:Astigmatism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D002452:Cell Count; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology*; D055954:Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss / Q000175:diagnosis*; D060527:Corneal Keratocytes / Q000473:pathology; D019781:Corneal Topography; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D014792:Visual Acuity