We describe a novel surgical technique for pterygium removal taking advantage of the properties of amniotic membrane and limbal epithelial stem cells. A total of 10 eyes underwent pterygium excision with amniotic membrane coverage of the bare sclera and placement of pieces of limbal epithelium in a linear fashion in the affected limbal area covered by a second amniotic membrane using fibrin glu...

AIM To determine the epithelial phenotype in rabbits with total limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) after reconstruction with autologous limbal epithelial stem cells ex vivo expanded on rabbit amniotic membrane (AM). METHODS Left eyes of 52 rabbits were rendered total LSCD, verified by impression cytology. The fibrovascular pannus of each cornea was removed. Group I (n = 10) received rabbit AM...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES The ocular surface is an ideal region to study the epithelial stem cell (SC) biology because of the unique spatial arrangement of stem cells and transient amplifying cells. A major challenge in corneal SC biology is the ability to identify SC in vitro and in situ, and one of the major controversies in the field relates to reliable SC markers. This study was carried out t...

Corneal integrity is essential for visual function. Transplantation remains the most common treatment option for advanced corneal diseases. A global donor material shortage requires a search for alternative treatments. Different stem cell populations have been induced to express corneal cell characteristics in vitro and in animal models. Yet before their application to humans, scientific and et...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare recurrence rates upon using mitomycin C (MMC) with limbal-conjunctival autograft for treating recurrent pterygia. METHODOLOGY An interventional, prospective, comparative clinical study was performed in 30 eyes (26 patients) with recurrent pterygia, allocated into two groups: Group A (19 eyes) operated by pterygium excision and limba...

PURPOSE To study the short-term clinical results of transplanting of cultivated corneal/limbal epithelial cells on human amniotic membrane (AM) for limbal deficiency. DESIGN Noncomparative, retrospective interventional case series. PARTICIPANTS Thirteen eyes of 13 patients with severe limbal deficiency (Stevens-Johnson syndrome in eight eyes, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid in three eyes, and...