Comparative analysis of long-term results of three epithelial cell transplantation procedures for treating limbal stem cell deficiency.

This study compared the long-term outcome of different epithelial transplantation techniques to treat limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). We conducted a retrospective 15-year comparative systematic cohort study of patients with LSCD who underwent either cultivated limbal epithelial transplantation (CLET), simple limbal epithelial transplantation (SLET), or cultivated oral mucosal epithelial transplantation (COMET). We reviewed the demographic data, etiology, LSCD severity, best-corrected visual acuity, surgical outcomes, and complications. A total of 103 eyes of 94 patients (mean age, 45.0 ± 16.4 years) with LSCD were enrolled. The most common cause of LSCD was chemical injury (42.7 %). The median follow-up time was 75 months. The success rates of CLET, SLET, and COMET were 45.5 %, 77.8 %, and 57.8 %, respectively. The 7-year survival rates after CLET, SLET, and COMET were 50.0 %, 72.2 %, and 53.2 %, respectively. Steven-Johnson syndrome (SJS) had a significantly lower survival rate than other causes (p < 0.001), but SLET had a significantly higher survival rate than CLET (p = 0.018) and COMET (p = 0.047). Visual improvement of more than four Snellen lines was achieved in 53.1 % of successful cases and 28.2 % of failed cases. SJS, Schirmer I test <5 mm, and the presence of postoperative recurrent epithelial defects were significant risk factors for a failed surgery. All epithelial transplantation techniques had favorable long-term surgical outcomes. More than half of the patients achieved a stable ocular surface and visual acuity improvement up to 7 years postoperatively. SLET tends to have a better surgical outcome than CLET and COMET, especially in patients with SJS.

Efficacy of subtenon 20-mg triamcinolone injection versus 0.1% dexamethasone eye drops for controlling inflammation after phacoemulsification: a randomized controlled trial.

A prospective randomized control trial of 140 eyes from 140 patients, who underwent phacoemulsification, was conducted to compare the efficacy of subtenon corticosteroids injection with corticosteroids eye drops for controlling postoperative intraocular inflammation. Seventy patients received subtenon 20-mg triamcinolone injection (TA group), whereas the other 70 patients received 0.1% dexamethasone eye drops (Dexa group) after the uneventful surgeries. We examined and measured anterior chamber inflammation (ACI) score, laser flare-cell metering, conjunctival redness, pain, discomfort, visual acuity, intraocular pressure, and central foveal thickness on 1, 7, 14, 28 and 90 days postoperatively. At one month after the surgery, full recovery (zero ACI score) was found in 43 patients (63.20%) in the Dexa group versus 47 patients (68.10%) in the TA group (p = 0.55). There were no statistically significant differences in aqueous cells (p = 0.37) and flare (p = 0.86) between the two groups at one month. All participants experienced no serious adverse events. In conclusion, we found no statistically significant difference between subtenon 20-mg triamcinolone injection and 0.1% dexamethasone eye drop to control inflammation postoperatively. A single subtenon 20-mg triamcinolone injection could be an alternative anti-inflammatory treatment for an uneventful phacoemulsification.