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Surgeons should have 'low threshold' for Prokera use in corneal disease
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KOLOA, Hawaii — Prokera amniotic membrane tissue is beneficial across a wide array of corneal and conjunctival disease, according to a speaker here.
“Amniotic tissue is very safe and easy to use and I think everybody should have a low threshold to use it,” Preeya K. Gupta, MD, said at Hawaiian Eye 2017. “Especially in cases where those patients have more complex disease and more risk factors because it really does help.”
Preeya Gupta
The donated tissue, which comes from the inner layer of the placenta, comes in two forms – dehydrated or cryopreserved – and can be used as a barrier to disease, a scaffold for structural support for regrowth and as an anti-inflammatory agent, she said.
Prokera (BioTissue) is a cryopreserved “biological bandage” that Gupta said she has found success with in her practice.
“My most common uses for amniotic membrane are persistent epithelial defects, neurotrophic keratitis and cases of severe dry eye. On the conjunctiva, pterygium repair, conjunctivochalasis repair, and then of course your more severe cases of limbal stem cell deficiency or Stevens-Johnson syndrome, Gupta added.
When utilizing Prokera, she advises to rinse the graft well of the glycerin in which it is packaged to avoid burning and stinging, inserting the graft in the upper eyelid first while the patient is looking down and considering a partial tarsorrhaphy with tape to minimize discomfort. – by Rebecca L. Forand
Reference:
Gupta P. Role of amniotic membrane tissue in ocular surface repair. Presented at: Hawaiian Eye; Jan. 14-20, 2017; Koloa, Hawaii.
Disclosure: Gupta reports she consults for Abbott Medical Optics, Alcon, Allergan, BioTissue, Novabay, RPS, Shire and TearScience.