Short-term corneal endothelial changes following posterior chamber lens implantation
Shinohara, Y.; Minami, Y.; Nagahama, M.; Oono, S.
Nippon Ganka Gakkai Zasshi 92(11): 1775-1780
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-0203 PMID: 3228025 Document Number: 313934
Early changes of central and superior corneal enodothelia following extracapsular cataract extraction and posterior chamber lens implantation were studied in thirty eyes for six months after the operation. The parameters used well cell loss, coefficient variation (CV), frequency of hexagonal cells and corneal thickness. Cell loss was greatest at two weeks postoperative in the central area and at one month peroperative in the superior area. It then decreased gradually and became stable three months after the operation showing an average decrease of approximately 10% and 17%, respectively. The CV value increased for two months postoperative, and subsequently it returned to the preoperative level in the central area but not in the superior area. The Frequency of hexagonal cells in both areas decreased significantly for one month postoperative, and decreased values continued without showing any restoration to the preoperative level. The Corneal thickness in the central area returned to the preoperative level at three months postoperative, with a peak in increase in the first postoperative week. The results suggest that the corneal endothelium in the central area is likely to be restored to the preoperative state and to be stabilized morphologically around three months after the operation, although cell density is not restored. However, in the superior area it may require more time to be restored the preoperative state since it shows much more cell loss and more marked morphometric changes. On the other hand, the functional changes in the central cornea appear to be transient and independent of the morphological ones.