Titel | Outcomes of allogenic cultivated limbal epithelial stem cells in aniridia patients |
Doel | To assess the results of transplanting allogenic cultivated limbal epithelial stem cell grafts in aniridia patients suffering from severe limbal stem cell deficiency. |
Methodes | Between January 2010 and March 2017 six aniridia patients with severe limbal stem cell deficiency received an allogenic cultivated limbal stem cell graft at the Antwerp University Hospital. The limbo-amnion grafts were generated by cultivating limbal epithelial stem cells from HLA-matched living related (n=5) or cadaveric (n=1) donor eyes on a standardized amniotic membrane. Post-operative corneal surface stability, visual outcomes and complications were assessed. Anatomical outcome was graded as ‘total success’, ‘partial success’ or ‘failure’. |
Resultaten | One patient was excluded because of loss to follow-up. The mean follow-up of the remaining patients was 47,8 months (range 11 – 104 months). In all of the patients there was an improvement in clinical signs early post-operatively, which slowly regressed during the follow-up course. At the final follow-up, two patients were graded as partial success and three patients were graded as failure. None of the patients experienced a total anatomical success. In only one of the patients there was a modest improvement in BCVA from hand movements to counting fingers. One of the eyes was complicated by acorneal ulcer 16 months post-operatively. |
Conclusie | Severe limbal stem cell deficiency in aniridia remains a challenging condition to manage. Transplantation of allogenic ex vivo cultivated limbal stem cells in aniridia patients may provide a temporarily improvement in ocular surface stability, but the anatomical and functional results are poor on the long-term. |
Belangenverstrengeling | Nee |
Naam | BEHAEGEL |
Initialen | JB |
Instituut | UZA |
Stad | Edegem |
Naam | Carina Koppen |
Initialen | CK |
Instituut | UZA |
Stad | Edegem |
Naam | Nadia Zakaria |
Initialen | NZ |
Instituut | UZA |
Stad | Edegem |
Naam | Tassignon |
Initialen | MJT |
Instituut | UZA |
Stad | Edegem |
Naam | Sorcha Ní Dhubhghaill |
Initialen | SND |
Instituut | UZA |
Stad | Edegem |