Corneal nerve alterations in different stages of Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy: an in vivo confocal microscopy study

Purpose To analyze potential alterations in corneal nerve morphology and function in different stages of Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD). Methods Thirty eyes with FECD underwent in vivo confocal microscopy using the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II (HRT II; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelbe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology 2014-07, Vol.252 (7), p.1119-1126
Main Authors: Bucher, Franziska, Adler, Werner, Lehmann, Helmar C., Hos, Deniz, Steven, Philipp, Cursiefen, Claus, Heindl, Ludwig M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Cornea
Cornea - innervation
Cornea - physiopathology
Cranial Nerve Diseases - classification
Cranial Nerve Diseases - diagnosis
Cranial Nerve Diseases - physiopathology
Female
Fuchs' Endothelial Dystrophy - classification
Fuchs' Endothelial Dystrophy - diagnosis
Fuchs' Endothelial Dystrophy - physiopathology
Humans
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Microscopy, Confocal
Middle Aged
Nerve Fibers - pathology
Nerve Net - pathology
Ophthalmic Nerve - pathology
Ophthalmology
Prospective Studies
Sensation - physiology
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Summary:Purpose To analyze potential alterations in corneal nerve morphology and function in different stages of Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD). Methods Thirty eyes with FECD underwent in vivo confocal microscopy using the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II (HRT II; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) and the Rostock Cornea Module (RCM) to quantify the morphology of the central subbasal corneal nerve plexus (total nerve length, total nerve number, number of main nerve trunks, number of nerve branches) as well as esthesiometry (using the Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer) of the central cornea to determine central corneal sensation as a measure of nerve function. Findings were correlated with an age-matched control group of 30 healthy individuals. Comparisons to biomicroscopical stage of FECD, visual acuity and central corneal thickness were performed using Spearman correlation. Results Depending on slit-lamp examination, all 30 eyes were classified into FECD stage 1–4 (stage 1: six eyes; stage 2: 15 eyes; stage 3: six eyes; stage 4: three eyes). Total nerve length ( ρ  = −0.8, p  
ISSN:0721-832X
1435-702X
DOI:10.1007/s00417-014-2678-3