Endothelial morphology related to disease activity in human corneas

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Science
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Corneal endothelial dysfunction can result from various pathologies.
• Accurate assessment of endothelial cell morphology is crucial for diagnosing and managing corneal diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate specific morphological parameters of corneal endothelium in normal and pathological conditions.
• To identify which morphological parameters correlate with the degree of endothelial disease activity.

Main Methods:

• Corneal tissues from normal subjects and patients with aphakia, herpetic keratitis, Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy, and graft rejection were stained.
• Morphological analysis included cell density, cell area variation, hexagonal cell percentage, and cell junction parameters.

Main Results:

• While several parameters were assessed, only the percentage of joint meetings of more than three cells showed consistent variation with increasing endothelial disease activity.
• This parameter effectively differentiated between normal and pathological corneal endothelium.

Conclusions:

• The percentage of corneal endothelial cells with more than three neighbors is a reliable indicator of disease activity.
• This finding can aid in the clinical assessment and management of corneal endothelial disorders.