Nonpreserved amniotic membrane can aid in certain cases of ocular surface reconstruction

PARIS — Transplantation of nonpreserved amniotic membrane can be an effective option for ocular surface reconstruction after surgery for surface neoplasia, according to a group of Turkish physicians.

Kaan Gunduz, MD, and colleagues studied eight eyes of eight patients; three eyes had conjunctival intraepithelial neoplasia, two eyes had squamous cell carcinoma, two eyes had malignant melanoma and one eye had conjunctival-orbital lymphangioma, according to the study.

Dr. Gunduz presented the results at the meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.

In all cases, the ocular tumor was surgically removed, and double freeze-thaw cryotherapy was applied up to 4 mm into the tumor-free margin. Nonpreserved amniotic membrane — attained from a woman who underwent elective C-section after 36 weeks of pregnancy — was then sutured to patients’ conjunctivas using 8-0 sutures and to their corneas using 10-0 sutures, Dr. Gunduz said.

Before surgery, the donor and recipients were screened for several diseases, including HIV and hepatitis A, B and C, he noted.

After a mean follow-up of 6.5 months, visual acuity improved in four eyes but remained unchanged in the remaining four eyes due to presence of cataract or macular scars, Dr. Gunduz said.

There were no cases of immune graft rejection, he noted.

“The clinical effects may be due to the living cells, which give off cytokines and growth factors,” Dr. Gunduz said. “Nonpreserved amniotic membrane is basically a biological bandage. It is a basement membrane transplant that helps promote epithelization.”