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. 2019 May 8:13:789-794.
doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S185455. eCollection 2019.

Evaluation of endothelial/Descemet membrane complex of eye bank donor corneas using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography

Zeba A Syed  1 , Gustavo Rosa Gameiro  1 , Marco Ruggeri  1 , Amr Elsawy  1   2 , Ibrahim Sayed-Ahmed  1 , Vatookarn Roongpoovapatr  1 , Mohamed Abdel-Mottaleb  2 , Mohamed Abou Shousha  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of endothelial/Descemet membrane complex of eye bank donor corneas using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography

Zeba A Syed et al. Clin Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Objective: We present a novel method for screening eye bank donor corneas using high definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT). This technology allows for the quantification of endothelial/Descemet membrane (En/DM) complex thickness ex vivo. Design: Prospective interventional study. Participants: Fifty-two corneal grafts from 27 donors were included in this study. Twenty additional control eyes and 11 eyes with Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy were also evaluated for comparison. Methods: A custom built, high speed HD-OCT device (Envisu R2210, Bioptigen, Buffalo Grove, IL, USA) was used to obtain images, and custom-made graph-based segmentation software was used to automatically deconstruct corneal images into micro-layers. HD-OCT imaging was used to scan through the sealed sterile case of donor corneas stored in McCarey-Kaufman medium to image their En/DM complex through the center of the cornea. Results: This technology allowed for quantification of En/DM complex thickness in all donor corneas through the sealed sterile container used to transport graft tissue. Mean En/DM complex thickness of donor corneas was 17±4 μm. The difference between donor cornea En/DM thickness and that of control subjects (16±2 μm) was not statistically significant (p=0.3), suggesting that the transport container and media do not affect measurements. There was a significant difference between En/DM thickness of Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy eyes (25±5 μm) and both donor corneas (p<0.0001) and control subjects (p<0.0001). Conclusions: We have described a new technique to measure En/DM complex thickness in eye bank donor corneas stored in a sealed sterile case. This may represent a novel adjunctive approach to screen corneal grafts for early endothelial disease.

Keywords: Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy; corneal graft screening; corneal transplant; microscope-integrated OCT.

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Conflict of interest statement

United States Non-Provisional Patent (Application No. 14/247903) and United States Provisional Patent (Application No. 62/445,106) (MA). United States Non-Provisional Patents (Application No. 8992023 and 61809518), and PCT/US2018/013409. Patents and PCT are owned by University of Miami and licensed to Resolve Ophthalmics, LLC. MA is an equity holder and sit on the Board of Directors for Resolve Ophthalmics, LLC. Mr Amr Elsawy is listed as a coinventor for a patent 14/247903 licensed to Resolve Ophthalmics. Dr Mohamed Abou Shousha reports grants from National Eye Institute, during the conduct of the study. In addition, Dr Abou Shousha is listed as a coinventor for a patent United States Non-Provisional Patent (Application No. 14/247903) licensed to Resolve Ophthalmics, LLC, a patent United States Provisional Patent (Application No. 62/445,106) (MA). United States Non-Provisional Patents (Application No. 8992023 and 61809518), and PCT/US2018/013409. licensed to Resolve Ophthalmics, LLC. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Imaging of a donor cornea through a sealed and sterile case. Abbreviation: HD-OCT, high definition optical coherence tomography.
Figure 2
Figure 2
HD-OCT images from (A) donor graft; (B) control eye; and (C) Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy eye. Below each HD-OCT image is the result of segmentation showing the isolated En/DM complex demarcated with red arrows. Images are displayed with the zero delay at the bottom. Abbreviations: HD-OCT, high definition optical coherence tomography; En/DM, endothelial/Descemet membrane.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean En/DM complex thickness (μm) in grafts versus control eyes and eyes with Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy. Abbreviation: En/DM, endothelial/Descemet membrane.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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