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Polishing with diamond burr adds option for recurrent corneal erosion treatment
Cornea. 2009;28(2):152-156.
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Diamond burr polishing compared with simple epithelial debridement resulted in less need for repeat surgical intervention in patients with recurrent corneal erosion.
In a double-masked, randomized, controlled trial, 48 patients with recurrent corneal erosion underwent diamond burr superficial keratectomy or epithelial debridement. There were no significant differences in demographics between the 25 patients undergoing diamond burr superficial keratectomy or the 23 patients undergoing simple epithelial debridement. Mean age was 38.3 ± 12.9 years.
Statistically significantly fewer patients in the diamond burr polishing group (P < .001) needed repeat surgery, and there were fewer overall recurrences in that group.
In the procedure, loose epithelium was removed with a cellulose sponge and the denuded area was gently and evenly polished with a 5-mm diameter ball diamond burr or the diamond burr was switched on and positioned over the cornea without touching it in sham therapy.
“Theoretically, [diamond burr superficial keratectomy] removes more abnormal basement membrane than simple debridement alone,” the study said, thus allowing removal of the loosened epithelium and enabling new epithelial cells with stronger adhesion complexes to grow.