Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Evaluation of corneal endothelial cell morphology by specular microscopy in patients with acute anterior uveitis

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Ophthalmology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To determine the structure and morphology of corneal endothelial cell layer in patients with acute anterior uveitis.

Methods

Thirty-four eyes of 34 acute anterior uveitis patients and 34 eyes of 34 healthy subjects were included. Mean cell density, coefficient of variation, maximum cell area, minimum cell area, average cell area and hexagonality ratio values were evaluated by non-contact specular microscopy. Parameters recorded in both groups were compared.

Results

The mean maximum cell area was 1054,44 ± 251,14 µm2, minimum cell area was 152.29 ± 53.65 µm2 and average cell area was 386.91 ± 41.73 µm2 in acute anterior uveitis group and the mean maximum cell area was 1057.65 ± 261.23 µm2, minimum cell area was 147.26 ± 20.45 µm2 and average cell area was 383.53 ± 43.12 µm2 in the control group. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of maximum, minimum and average cell area (respectively, p = 0.080, p = 0.72, p = 0.62, p = 0.67). The mean cell density was 2607.74 ± 277.63 cells/ µm2 in acute anterior uveitis group and 2669.35 ± 265.22 cells/µm2 in the control group. (p = 0.358). In acute anterior uveitis group the mean coefficient of variation was 31.68 ± 8.16, hexagonality ratio was 63.85 ± 11.14 and mean central corneal thickness was 571.47 ± 55.99 µm; in control group the mean coefficient of variation was 25.29 ± 3.00, mean hexagonality ratio was 72.6 ± 4.80% and mean central corneal thickness was 534.82 ± 33.84 µm. Statistically significant differences were seen between the two groups (respectively, P = 0,00, P = 0,00, P = 0.02).

Conclusion

The mean central corneal thickness and coefficient of variation values were found higher, and the hexagonality ratio was found lower in acute anterior uveitis group. Our findings suggest that intraocular inflammation in anterior chamber negatively affects the endothelial function in patients with acute anterior uveitis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Tuft SJ, Coster DJ (1990) The corneal endothelium. Eye 4:389–424

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Bourne WM, McLaren JW (2004) Clinical responses of the corneal endothelium. Exp Eye Res 78(3):561–572

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Die VA (1920) Sichtbarkeit des lebenden Hornhautendothels. Albrecht von Græfes Archiv für Ophthalmologie 101(2–3):123–144

    Google Scholar 

  4. Maurice DM (1968) Cellular membrane activity in the corneal endothelium of the intact eye. Experientia 24(11):1094–1095

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Laing RA, Sandstrom MM, Leibowitz HM (1975) In vivo photomicrography of the corneal endothelium. Arch Ophthalmol 93(2):143–145

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Cheung SW, Cho P (2000) Endothelial cells analysis with the TOPCON specular microscope SP-2000P and IMAGEnet system. Curr Eye Res 21(4):788–798

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Siak J, Mahendradas P, Chee S-P (2017) Multimodal imaging in anterior uveitis. Ocul Immunol Inflamm 25(3):434–446

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Jabs DA, Nussenblatt RB (2005) Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) Working Group. Standardization of uveitis nomenclature for reporting clinical data. Results of the first international workshop. Am J Ophthalmol 140(3):509–516

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Pillai CT, Dua HS, Azuara-Blanco A, Sarhan AR (2000) Evaluation of corneal endothelium and keratic precipitates by specular microscopy in anterior uveitis. Br J Ophthalmol 84(12):1367–1371

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Trinh L, Brignole-Baudouin F, Labbe A, Raphail M, Bourges J-L, Baudouin C (2008) The corneal endothelium in an endotoxin-induced uveitis model: correlation between in vivo confocal microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Mol Vis 14:1149–1156

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Herbort CP, Chan CC, Nussenblatt RB (1990) Endotoxin-induced uveitis in the rat: a hypothesis for preferential involvement of the anterior uvea. Curr Eye Res 9:119–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Brooks GG, Weg F (1988) The use of specular microscopy to investigate unusual findings in the corneal endothelium and its adjacent structures. Aust N Z J Ophthalmol 16(3):235–243

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Brooks A, Grant G, Gillies W (1987) Differentiation and assessment of corneal endothelial changes associated with diseases of the anterior segment of the eye. Aust N Z J Ophthalmol 15(1):65–70

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Banaee T, Shafiee M, Alizadeh R, Naseri MH (2016) Changes in Corneal thickness and specular microscopic indices in acute unilateral anterior uveitis. Ocul Immunol Inflamm 24(3):288–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Macdonald JM, Geroski DH, Edelhauser HF (1987) Effect of inflammation on the corneal endothelial pump and barrier. Curr Eye Res 6(9):1125–1132

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Behar-Cohen FF, Savoldelli M, Parel JM, Goureau O, Thillaye-Goldenberg B, Courtois Y, Pouliquen Y, de Kozak Y (1998) Reduction of corneal edema in endotoxin-induced uveitis after application of L-NAME as nitric oxide synthase inhibitor in rats by iontophoresis. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 39(6):897–904

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Heinz C, Taneri S, Roesel M, Heiligenhaus A (2012) Influence of corneal thickness changes during active uveitis on Goldmann applanation and dynamic contour tonometry. Ophthalmic Res 48(1):38–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Olsen T (1980) Changes in the corneal endothelium after acute anterior uveltls as seen with the specular microscope. Acta Ophthalmol 58:250–256

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Ozdamar Y, Berker N, Ertugrul G, Gurlevik U (2010) Is there a change of corneal thickness in uveitis with Behçet desease? Cornea 29(11):1265–1267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Evereklioglu C, Er H (2002) Increased corneal thickness in active Behcet’s disease? Eur J Ophthalmol 12(1):24–29

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Cakar Özdal P, Yazıcı A, Elgin U, Öztürk F (2013) Central corneal thickness in Fuch’s Uveitic Syndrome. Turkish J Ophthalmol 43(4):225–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Szepessy Z, Tóth G, Barsi A, Kránitz K, Nagy Z (2016) Anterior segment characteristics of Fuchs uveitis syndrome. Ocul Immunol Inflamm 24(5):594–598

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Cankaya C, Cumurcu T, Gunduz A, Firat I (2018) Corneal endothelial changes in Behcet’s patients with inactive ocular involvement. Curr Eye Res 43(8):965–971

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Bourne WM, Nelson LR, Hodge DO (1994) Continued endothelial cell loss ten years after lens implantation. Ophthalmology 101(6):1014–1023

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Slingsby JG, Forstot SL (1981) Effect of blunt trauma on the corneal endothelium. Arch Ophthalmol 99(6):1041–1043

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Karai I, Matsumura S, Takise S, Horiguchi S, Matsuda M (1984) Morphological change in the corneal endothelium due to ultraviolet radiation in welders. Br J Ophthalmol 68:544–548

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Alfawaz AM, Holland GN, Yu F, Margolis MS, Giaconi JAA, Aldave AJ (2016) Corneal endothelium in patients with anterior uveitis. Ophthalmology 123(8):1637–1645

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Ghita J, Ilie L, Ghita AM (2019) The effects of inflammation and anti-inflammatory treatment on corneal endothelium in acute anterior uveitis. Rom J Ophthalmol 63(2):161–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Güclü H, Gürlü V (2019) Comparison of corneal endothelial cell analysis in patients with uveitis and healthy subjects. Int Ophthalmol 39(2):287–294

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This clinical study is a postgraduate residency thesis of Dr. Duygu Sevinc, 2018, Zonguldak, Turkey. Tuba Celik, M.D, Associate Professor, is the academic consultant of the thesis. Statistical Analysis was performed by Cagatay Buyukuysal, Assistant Professor, Department of Statistics, Bulent Ecevit University Faculty of Medicine.

Funding

No funding was received.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Bursa İznik State Hospital, İznik, Bursa, Turkey

    Duygu Sevinc

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Health Sciences, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

    Tuba Celik

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Bulent Ecevit University, Kozlu, Zonguldak, Turkey

    Silay Canturk Ugurbas & Suat Hayri Ugurbas

Authors
  1. Duygu Sevinc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tuba Celik
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Silay Canturk Ugurbas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Suat Hayri Ugurbas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tuba Celik.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

No commercial relationship exists for this article’s author in the form of financial support or personal financial interest.

Ethical approval

This study was approved by the ethics committee of Bulent Ecevit University and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The details of the study were explained to the patients and written informed consents were obtained.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sevinc, D., Celik, T., Ugurbas, S.C. et al. Evaluation of corneal endothelial cell morphology by specular microscopy in patients with acute anterior uveitis. Int Ophthalmol 42, 1339–1345 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-021-02122-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-021-02122-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation