Combined allograft procedure shows promise in treating ocular surface disease

Cornea. 2011;30(7):765-771.

A combination of living-related conjunctival limbal allograft and keratolimbal allograft was effective in treating severe ocular surface failure and conjunctival deficiency, a study found.

In a retrospective study of 24 eyes of 19 patients who underwent the combined grafting procedure during a 10-year period, only three (12.5%) were deemed to have a failed ocular surface. At the last follow-up, 13 eyes (54.2%) had stable ocular surfaces and eight (33.3%) had an improved ocular surface.

Mean age of patients in the study was 51.7 years; mean follow-up time was 43.4 months.

Best corrected visual acuity, measured as 20/400 or worse in 21 of the 24 eyes preoperatively, showed improvement of at least one line in 18 eyes, maintained preoperative estimations in four eyes and dropped below preoperative estimations in two eyes. End-stage glaucoma caused a total loss of vision in one patient, and enucleation after perforation was required in another.

Six minor adverse events were reported in the 23 patients receiving systemic immunosuppression, which was administered for a mean of 34.1 months. Four patients experienced a temporary increase in creatinine level and two experienced a transient increase in liver function test measurements. All events were successfully counteracted with modified medication regimens.