Corneal Densitometry in Healthy Corneas and Its Correlation With Endothelial Morphometry

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the correlations between corneal endothelial cell properties and corneal densitometry values and to investigate whether corneal densitometry may be used as an indicator of the health of corneal endothelium.

Methods: Two hundred fifty-three eyes were analyzed in this prospective cross-sectional study. Corneal densitometry was measured with densitometry software of Pentacam HR-Scheimpflug corneal topography over a 12-mm diameter of the cornea. Furthermore, corneal endothelial cell properties including cell density (CD), average cell area, SD of the cell area, coefficient of variation (CV) of the cell area, maximum cell area, minimum cell area, and percentage of hexagonal cells (HEX) were measured by a specular microscope. The correlations were calculated using Pearson correlation tests.

Results: The average cell area, SD, maximum cell area, and minimum cell area values were not statistically significantly correlated with the corneal densitometry values in any layer or concentric annulus. CD, CV, and HEX were statistically significantly correlated with the corneal densitometry values in all layers and concentric annuli (P < 0.05 for each one). Moreover, CD and HEX were inversely and moderately correlated with total corneal densitometry (r = -0.403, P < 0.001, and r = -0.327, P < 0.001, respectively), whereas the CV was positively and moderately correlated with total corneal densitometry (r = 0.349, P < 0.001).

Conclusions: Corneal densitometry might have potential to be used as an indicator of the health of corneal endothelium in the future.