Diamond burring and surgical keratectomy. Morphologic comparison in the rabbit

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Surgery
• Wound Healing

Background:

• Superficial lamellar keratectomy techniques are crucial for corneal transplantation and reconstructive surgery.
• Understanding the differential effects of surgical methods on corneal healing is vital for optimizing patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of diamond burring keratectomy (DBK) versus surgical superficial lamellar keratectomy (SLK) in rabbit corneal wound healing.
• To evaluate the impact of DBK and SLK on corneal epithelial healing rate and stromal morphology post-procedure.

Main Methods:

• Rabbit corneas underwent either DBK or 10-mm-diameter SLK.
• Epithelial healing and corneal morphology were assessed at 1, 4, 7, and 14 days post-wounding.
• Histological analysis focused on epithelial cell morphology and stromal keratocyte/fibrocyte populations.

Main Results:

• Epithelial defects healed significantly slower after SLK compared to DBK.
• DBK corneas showed complete epithelial morphology restoration within two weeks; SLK corneas exhibited persistent abnormal cell morphology.
• DBK led to transient keratocyte depletion and subsequent fibrocyte repopulation, while SLK induced sustained anterior stromal hypercellularity.

Conclusions:

• Diamond burring keratectomy (DBK) demonstrates superior outcomes in terms of corneal epithelial healing rate and morphology restoration.
• DBK facilitates a more favorable stromal environment for repopulation compared to SLK.
• DBK is the preferred surgical technique for creating recipient beds in keratoepithelioplasty and conjunctival transplantation.