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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Corneal Confocal Microscopy: A Novel Non-invasive Technique to Quantify Small Fibre Pathology in Peripheral Neuropathies
Published on: January 3, 2011
[Contribution of confocal microscopy and anterior chamber OCT to the study of corneal endothelial pathologies]
N Fayol1, A Labbé, S Dupont-Monod
1Service d'Ophtalmologie III, Centre Hospitalier National d'Ophtalmologie des Quinze-Vingts, Paris, USA.
Purpose:
To describe the appearance of various endothelial diseases with in vivo confocal microscopy and anterior chamber optical coherence tomography (AC OCT).
Methods:
In this study, ten patients with five different corneal endothelial pathologies were evaluated. Three patients had cornea guttata, three had corneal endothelial precipitates, two had irido-corneo-endothelial (ICE) syndrome, one had endothelial folds, and one had breaks in the Descemet membrane. All patients had bilateral ophthalmologic examinations, in vivo confocal microscopy, and AC OCT analysis.
Results:
In cases of cornea guttata, AC OCT showed a finely embossed line corresponding to the empty intercellular cavities found with in vivo confocal microscopy. Corneal endothelium precipitates had the aspect of round formations suspended with the endothelium. Iris atrophy and irido-corneal synechiae resulting from ICE syndrome were precisely visualized with the AC OCT.
Conclusion:
High-resolution images of the anterior segment could be obtained using the AC OCT. Associated with in vivo confocal microscopy, these two new imaging techniques provide a precise evaluation of endothelial pathologies.
