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Long‐term efficacy of glycerine‐processed amniotic membrane transplantation in patients with corneal ulcer
Author(s) -
Uhlig Constantin E.,
Frings Charlotte,
Rohloff Nadine,
HarmsenAasman Christel,
Schmitz Ralf,
Kiesel Ludwig,
Eter Nicole,
Busse Holger,
Alex Anne F.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/aos.12671
Subject(s) - medicine , transplantation , visual acuity , surgery , cure rate , corneal transplantation , clinical efficacy , ophthalmology
Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the long‐term treatment efficacy of glycerine‐preserved human amniotic membrane transplantation in patients suffering from corneal ulcers. Methods This was a retrospective, non‐controlled, monocentric analysis. Included were patients with corneal ulcers that were non‐responsive to ointment or contact lenses and had been treated by amniotic membrane transplantation with either the overlay or sandwich procedure. Analysis parameters were visual acuity before and following treatment, recurrence rate and subjective comfort at the last follow‐up. Results Of the 371 amniotic membrane transplantations that were conducted, 135 surgical treatments in 108 patients (51.9% male, 48.1% female; mean age 63.7 years) met the inclusion criteria. In total, 99 overlay and 36 multilayer amniotic membrane transplantations were performed. The follow‐up period was 47.5 ± 66.7 weeks (mean ± SD ). The recurrence rate at the last follow‐up was 47.8% with overlay membranes and 51.8% with the sandwich technique. There was no significant change in best‐corrected visual acuity following treatment with overlays (p = 0.219) or sandwich procedure (p = 0.703). At the last follow‐up, 72.1% (overlay) and 78.3% (sandwich) of the patients reported either no pain or increased comfort. Conclusion The recurrence rates and changes in visual acuity following overlay or sandwich amniotic membrane transplantation in patients suffering from corneal ulcer were lower than reported elsewhere in the literature. More than half of the patients profited from each of the amniotic membrane transplantation techniques with respect to recurrence and postoperative comfort.