title: Long-term symptomatic relief of bullous keratopathy with amniotic membrane transplant.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the long-term outcome of patients with symptomatic bullous keratopathy after amniotic membrane transplant. A retrospective cohort study includes that 20 patients with symptomatic bullous keratopathy, who have underwent amniotic membrane transplant at the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital & Alice Ho Miu Ling Hospital, Hong Kong between 04/1998 and 06/2011, were invited back. Clinical examination was performed, including, pain score assessment (pain score out of 10), epithelial healing, and vision. A total of 21 eyes of 20 patients returned for our study. The majority of eyes experienced pain reduction (94 %), with a significant mean pain score difference of 6.8 ± 2.6, 2-tail p < 0.001 (99 % CI 4.9-8.7). The mean pre-operative and post-operative pain scores were 7.3 ± 2.9 and 0.5 ± 1.0, respectively. 16 eyes (76 %) were completely pain free, and 10 eyes (47 %) remained symptom free after a mean follow-up of 39.0 ± 36.3 months (range 5-171 months). The median epithelial healing time was 2 weeks (range 1-20 weeks). Amniotic membrane transplant may be considered as a longer-term treatment for bullous keratopathy patients, especially in patients with poorer visual prognosis, but it may also be used as an interim measure for patients awaiting corneal transplant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital & Alice Ho Miu Ling Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Gillian D J Y
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Siu
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital & Alice Ho Miu Ling Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR. youngla@ha.org.hk.
authors.forename: Alvin L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital & Alice Ho Miu Ling Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR.
authors.forename: Lulu L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000650:Amnion / Q000637:transplantation*; D001768:Blister / Q000601:surgery; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D015948:Keratoplasty, Penetrating / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010149:Postoperative Pain; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Amniotic membrane; Bullous keratopathy; Cornea; Keratoplasty; Transplantation