Study: Limbal stem cell, amniotic membrane transplants promote corneal healing

Limbal stem cell transplantation and amniotic membrane transplants may help rehabilitate a patient’s cornea after a serious chemical burn, according to a paper.

Renata Ivekovic, MD, PhD, and colleagues at the Clinical Hospital in Croatia applied amniotic membrane as a patch in five eyes, and limbal stem cell transplantation (LSCT) from a healthy contralateral eye was done in six eyes. A combination of the two treatments was performed in four eyes. There were no complications during the procedures.

Epithelialization was achieved in 2 weeks in LSCT patients and 3 weeks in amniotic membrane transplant patients. The authors reported that visual acuity was improved in all patients.

During a 13-month follow-up, there were no complications in the eyes of the donors or recipients, according to the study.

“Amniotic membrane is effective in promoting re-epithelialization and reducing inflammation when applied alone in patients with 3- to 6-hour limbal involvement, as well as combined with LSCT in patients with more than 6-hour limbal ischemia,” the researchers wrote. “LSCT is an effective procedure for rehabilitation after severe chemical trauma of the eye with more than 50% limbal involvement.”

This study was published in the September/October issue of Ophthalmologica.