Regional specular microscopy of endothelial cell loss after intracapsular cataract extraction: a preliminary report

In a group of 10 patients (12 eyes) undergoing intracapsular cataract extraction, corneal endothelial cell loss was serially investigated by means of regional specular microscopy. Prevoperatively there were no significant regional differences in the endothelial cell density. Two weeks after surgery, the superior endothelium alone showed a significant cell loss (15.6%). Whereas, a definite endothelial cell loss occurred in each region of the cornea one month after surgery. The cell loss was greater in the superior (22.8%) and lower in the inferior (4.7%), respectively, when compared to that seen in the central cornea (9.6%). In each region, cell loss continued 3 months postsoperatively, but no significant cell loss occurred thereafter. These results suggest that the entire endothelial cell population may participate in the healing of the damage associated with intracapsular cataract extraction and that regional specular microscopy can be of help for detailed evaluation of such a damage.