In vivo survival and stratification of cultured limbal epithelium

Abstract

A 6-year-old Bangladeshi girl presented with total limbal stem cell deficiency in the left eye, secondary to a 6-month-old chemical injury. The patient had also previously undergone two limbal transplantation surgeries. At the authors' centre the child underwent autologous cultured limbal epithelium transplantation, on human amniotic membrane, without the use of air-lift technique. Symptomatic relief, re-epithelialization of the ocular surface, regression of corneal pannus and slight improvement in vision were all noted. The corneal button obtained at the time of keratoplasty (performed 4 months later) revealed stratified epithelium with basement membrane. Thirty-seven months post keratoplasty, the best-corrected visual acuity was 6/15 with clear graft and stable ocular surface. Herein, a case of limbal stem cell deficiency successfully managed by monolayer of cultured limbal epithelium is presented.