title: Cultivated Oral Mucosa Epithelium in Ocular Surface Reconstruction in Aniridia Patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Efficacy of cultivated oral mucosa epithelial transplantation (COMET) procedure in corneal epithelium restoration of aniridia patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study subjects were aniridia patients (13 patients; 17 eyes) with irregular, vascular conjunctival pannus involving visual axis who underwent autologous transplantation of cultivated epithelium. For the procedure oral mucosa epithelial cells were obtained from buccal mucosa with further enzymatic treatment. Suspension of single cells was seeded on previously prepared denuded amniotic membrane. Cultures were carried on culture dishes inserts in the presence of the inactivated with Mitomycin C monolayer of 3T3 fibroblasts. Cultures were carried for seven days. Stratified oral mucosa epithelium with its amniotic membrane carrier was transplanted on the surgically denuded corneal surface of aniridia patients with total or subtotal limbal stem cell deficiency. Outcome Measures. Corneal surface, epithelial regularity, and visual acuity improvement were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the observation period, 76.4% of the eyes had regular transparent epithelium and 23.5% had developed epithelial defects or central corneal haze; in 88.2% of cases visual acuity had increased. VA range was from HM 0.05 before the surgery to HM up to 0.1 after surgery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Application of cultivated oral mucosa epithelium restores regular epithelium on the corneal surface with moderate improvement in quality of vision.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Clinic, II School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, District Railway Hospital, Panewnicka 65 street, 40760 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Dariusz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dobrowolski
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Maxillo-Cranio-Facial Surgery, Clinical Hospital, Medical University of Silesia, Francuska 20-24 street, 40027 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Boguslawa
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Orzechowska-Wylegala
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Clinic, II School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, District Railway Hospital, Panewnicka 65 street, 40760 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Bogumil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wowra
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Clinic, II School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, District Railway Hospital, Panewnicka 65 street, 40760 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wroblewska-Czajka
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Clinic, II School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, District Railway Hospital, Panewnicka 65 street, 40760 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grolik
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanotechnology of Polymers and Biomaterials, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3 street, 30060 Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Szczubialka
authors.affiliation: Department of Nanotechnology of Polymers and Biomaterials, Faculty of Chemistry, Jagiellonian University, Ingardena 3 street, 30060 Cracow, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nowakowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98 125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Puzzolo
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ophthalmology Clinic, II School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, District Railway Hospital, Panewnicka 65 street, 40760 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Edward A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Wylegala
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98 125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Micali
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Specialties, Section of Ophthalmology, University of Messina, Policlinico "G. Martino", Gazzi, 98125 Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aragona
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D015783:Aniridia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation