RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Central corneal basal cell density and nerve parameters in ocular surface disease and limbal stem cell deficiency: a review and meta-analysis
JF British Journal of Ophthalmology
JO Br J Ophthalmol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
SP 1633
OP 1639
DO 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2019-315231
VO 104
IS 12
A1 Pradipta Bhattacharya
A1 Katie Edwards
A1 Damien Harkin
A1 Katrina L Schmid
YR 2020
UL http://bjo.bmj.com/content/104/12/1633.abstract
AB Objective To conduct a review and meta-analysis for investigating the relative reduction of central corneal basal cell density (BCD) and nerve parameters in ocular surface disease (OSD) and limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD).Methods A systematic literature search using the terms ((1) “ocular surface disease” or “ocular surface disorder”; (2) “in vivo confocal microscopy”; (3) “limbal stem cell deficiency”; (4) “basal cell density” or “corneal basal cell density” or “central corneal basal cell density”; (5) “corneal nerves” or “corneal nerve parameters” or “central corneal nerve parameters”) was performed. The results are presented as weighted mean difference (WMD) with corresponding 95% CI.Results 16 studies that reported the central corneal BCD and 21 studies that reported the central corneal nerve parameters in OSD (including LSCD) were included. A significant reduction in central corneal BCD was observed in patients with various OSDs (WMD=−9.50, 95% CI −14.04 to −4.97, p<0.01) as well as in patients with LSCD (WMD=−22.14, 95% CI −37.91 to −6.37, p<0.01) compared with healthy controls, however, no significant difference in BCD was observed between the two groups (WMD=−11.61, 95% CI −15.96 to −7.26, p=0.13). There was no conclusive difference in various central corneal nerve parameters between OSDs and LSCD.Conclusion Central corneal BCD and nerve parameters are reduced in LSCD, there is a similar reduction in other OSDs.