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Review
. 2010 Sep-Nov;25(5-6):178-85.
doi: 10.3109/08820538.2010.518542.

In vivo imaging of corneal inflammation: new tools for clinical practice and research

Dimosthenis Mantopoulos  1 , Andrea Cruzat, Pedram Hamrah
Affiliations
Review

In vivo imaging of corneal inflammation: new tools for clinical practice and research

Dimosthenis Mantopoulos et al. Semin Ophthalmol. 2010 Sep-Nov.

Abstract

Purpose: Infectious and inflammatory corneal diseases are a major cause of blindness. To date, assessment of corneal inflammation, has only been possible by slit-lamp biomicroscopy. The purpose of this study is to review the current state of imaging technologies enabling in vivo imaging of inflammation in the cornea.

Methods: Literature review of peer-reviewed articles on in vivo imaging modalities.

Results: Current means of diagnosis and treatment follow-up for immune and infectious keratitis are limited to slit-lamp biomicroscopy. Several modalities are currently emerging, allowing for in vivo imaging of corneal inflammation, including in vivo confocal microscopy, anterior segment optical coherence tomography, and intravital multiphoton microscopy.

Conclusion: Several in vivo imaging technologies are currently evolving, allowing for objective assessment of corneal inflammation and treatment response.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
(A, B) In vivo confocal image of a patient with acute fungal keratitis, demonstrating a significant influx of leukocytes. (C) In vivo confocal image of a patient with chronic Acanthamoeba keratitis, demonstating a significant increase in dendritic Langerhans cells in the corneal epithelium, with extensive dendritic processes. (D) Corneal nerves and immunce cells depicted with in vivo confocal image in a patient with viral keratitis.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Slit lamp (left) and OCT image (right) of a patient with fungal keratitis, demonstrating inflammation in the anterior stroma.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Two Photon Microscopy picture of the cornea in a Major Histocompatibility Class II (MHCII)-GFP mouse. MHC II-positive antigen presenting cells appear green and stromal collagen appears in blue (second harmonic generation). Peripheral (lower right) and central (upper left) cornea are visualized.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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