4.6 Article

Ex vivo confocal microscopy of human corneal nerves

期刊

BRITISH JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
卷 94, 期 9, 页码 1251-1257

出版社

BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1136/bjo.2009.178244

关键词

-

资金

  1. Ministry of Higher Education, Government of Iraq

向作者/读者索取更多资源

Aims To evaluate the distribution, morphometry and the postmortem changes of the central and peripheral human corneal nerves by exvivo laser-scanning confocal microscopy (EVCM). Methods 24 eyes from 14 cadavers were retrieved at different time intervals after death and examined by EVCM. Five regions were examined in each eye: central, superior, inferior, temporal and nasal. In each region, corneal nerve images were categorised according to their anatomical location in the cornea into sub-basal, stromal and limbal nerves. Five nerve parameters were measured: density, orientation, diameter, numbers and branching pattern. Results Exvivo confocal scanning of a motionless eye allows high quality imaging and tracking of corneal and limbal nerves. Stromal nerves from the sub-Bowman's plexus perforate the Bowman's zone and terminate in bulb-like structures, from each of which a leash of sub-basal nerves arises. Following death, sub-basal nerve parameters showed significant changes. The density decreased from 9.23 +/- 4.48 to 0.45 +/- 0.07 mm/mm(2), the diameter from 4.01 +/- 0.81 to 2.08 +/- 0.20 mm, the numbers from 8.3 to 1.0 and branching pattern from 39.38% to 0% (p< 0.05) from day 1 to day 5 postmortem. Stromal and limbal nerves showed no significant changes in their density and diameter. Conclusions This study establishes a direct link between sub-basal nerves and the sub-Bowman's nerves via distinct terminal bulbs. Limbal nerves are the thickest, are seen in all quadrants and can be traced to the corneal centre. The sub-basal nerve plexus rapidly degenerates after death but stromal and limbal nerves survive during the first five days after death.

作者

我是这篇论文的作者
点击您的名字以认领此论文并将其添加到您的个人资料中。

评论

主要评分

4.6
评分不足

次要评分

新颖性
-
重要性
-
科学严谨性
-
评价这篇论文

推荐

暂无数据
暂无数据