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A new matrix therapy agent in the treatment of corneal ulcers resistant to conventional treatments
Author(s) -
COCHENER B,
MURAINE M
Publication year - 2012
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/j.1755-3768.2012.2522.x
Subject(s) - medicine , corneal ulcer , corneal ulceration , artificial tears , surgery , keratitis , etiology , regimen , ophthalmology , cornea
Purpose To report the cases of a series of patients suffering from corneal ulcers resistant to conventional therapies and treated with a new ophthalmologic solution based on ReGeneraTing Agent technology (RGTA, Cacicol®). Methods Twenty four patients with corneal ulcer, most often chronic, were included in this opened series. Eleven patients had a neurotrophic ulcer (5 post‐infectious keratitis, 3 chemical burns, 1 Lyell syndrome, 2 others) with corneal anesthesia and persisting despite a 15‐day treatment with only unpreserved artificial tears. Other patients (n=12) had a chronic corneal ulcer of various etiologies (including 2 chemical burns, one associated with neurotrophic keratitis, one Moreen ulcer), and one patient had a severe confluent keratitis. These 13 patients were previously treated with classical lachrymal substitutes, some of them also with topical cyclosporine, corticoids, and/or A vitamin ocular ointment. A total of 11 patients had already received one or several amniotic membrane grafts, without success. All Patients were treated with Cacicol® at a dose regimen of one drop daily every 2 or 3 days for one to 3 months depending on healing. Results Complete healing was observed for 16 patients, including 7 out of the 11 patients with neurotrophic ulcer, i.e. a cure rate of 67%. However, a large variation has been noted in the time period recovery of corneal surface integrity going from few days to few weeks. An analysis of potential factors that could influence the healing process will be provided. For other patients, 5 failures and 3 improvements without complete healing were reported. Conclusion Cacicol® appears as a new interesting healing eye drops in the context of severe corneal ulcers resistant to conventional therapies. Its efficacy remains to be proven in randomized double‐blind studies.