Iatrogenic limbal stem cell deficiency

To describe a group of patients with limbal stem cell (SC) deficiency without prior diagnosis of a specific disease entity known to be causative of SC deficiency.

We performed a retrospective review of the records of all patients with ocular surface disease presenting to the University of Minnesota between 1987 and 1996. Patients were categorized according to etiology of limbal deficiency. Patients who did not have a specific diagnosis previously described as being causative for limbal deficiency were analyzed. Risk factors, clinical findings and sequelae were evaluated.

Eight eyes of six patients with stem cell deficiency not secondary to a known diagnosis were described. All eyes had prior ocular surgery involving the corneoscleral limbus. Six eyes had been on chronic topical medications and all eyes had concurrent external disease such as pterygium, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, rosacea or herpes simplex virus keratitis. All eyes had superior quadrants affected corresponding to areas of prior limbal surgery. Sequelae of disease included corneal scarring and neo-vascularization, and five eyes had with visual acuity of 20/200 or worse.

Because the epitheliopathy started peripherally and extended centrally in all patients, we feel it represents a stem cell deficiency. The fact that all patients were affected superiorly, at sites of a prior limbal surgical incision, points to surgical trauma to the SC as the likely major etiologic factor for the deficiency. The surgical trauma to the limbal SC probably made these cells more susceptible to damage from other external disease influences and toxicity from chronic topical medications. Because the stem cell deficiency is secondary to prior ocular surgery and chronic topical medications, we propose the term "iatrogenic limbal stem cell deficiency".