Total anterior corneal surface and epithelial stem cell harvesting: Current microkeratomes and beyond

Margaret A. Chang, Roy S. Chuck

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Currently, most corneal lamellar allografts are performed by manually dissecting donor corneoscleral material for transplantation. Manual dissection is technically challenging and time intensive, and excessive handling of tissue may decrease the likelihood of obtaining viable grafts. These mechanical factors, along with problems controlling immune rejection, have prevented limbal stem cell lamellar allografts in particular from becoming more widely used. Anterior lamellar keratoplasty is gaining in clinical importance and usage but is still only practiced by a limited number of surgeons. Recently, new mechanical and femtosecond laser microkeratomes have been adopted to harvest the anterior corneal surface, including the limbal stem cell region. Preliminary results have been encouraging and give hope that this technique may prove to be of benefit to patients in the future.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)251-258
Number of pages8
JournalExpert Review of Medical Devices
Volume1
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2004
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cornea
  • Femtosecond laser
  • Lamellar
  • Limbal stem cell
  • Microkeratome
  • Transplant

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery
  • Biomedical Engineering

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