Patrick Parkinson , Irina Makarenko , Oliver J. Baylis , Gustavo S. Figueiredo , Majlinda Lako , Anvar Shukurov , Francisco C. Figueiredo , Laura E. Wadkin
{"title":"角膜缘干细胞缺乏的IVCM图像分析:角膜上皮移植后恢复的定量诊断","authors":"Patrick Parkinson , Irina Makarenko , Oliver J. Baylis , Gustavo S. Figueiredo , Majlinda Lako , Anvar Shukurov , Francisco C. Figueiredo , Laura E. Wadkin","doi":"10.1016/j.jtos.2025.08.005","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), a sight-threatening condition, is caused by dysfunction of the limbal stem cells (LSCs) which maintain the corneal epithelium. An effective treatment of LSCD is the transplantation of <em>ex-vivo</em> cultured LSCs from the patient's healthy other eye (in unilateral cases) or a donor eye (in bilateral cases) to the affected eye. Here we identify and quantify diagnostic and monitoring criteria for the recovery of the corneal epithelium post-LSC transplant using cellular images.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We consider the <em>in-vivo</em> confocal microscopy (IVCM) images from 10 patients with total unilateral LSCD caused by chemical burns, taken before and after LSC transplant. Images encompass the entire thickness of the corneal epithelium in the central and four peripheral regions. Approximately 1500 images were segmented using a bespoke algorithm to extract morphological data for analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The probability density of cell areas is shown to be a sensitive monitoring tool of corneal epithelial status. After a successful operation the distribution of cell areas is rather flat, reflecting an anomalously wide range of cell areas. As the cornea recovers, the distribution narrows with high statistical confidence and approaches that of the healthy cornea. We find a strong patient-to-patient variability in the epithelial cell area distribution and its variation with corneal depth. The corneal epithelial cell shape is independent of the cornea status despite a widespread expectation that healthy cells are roughly hexagonal.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Cell area is a sensitive and easily accessible marker of corneal epithelial recovery in LSCD patients post-LSC transplant.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54691,"journal":{"name":"Ocular Surface","volume":"38 ","pages":"Pages 266-273"},"PeriodicalIF":5.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"IVCM image analysis for limbal stem cell deficiency: quantitative diagnostics of the corneal epithelium post-transplant recovery\",\"authors\":\"Patrick Parkinson , Irina Makarenko , Oliver J. Baylis , Gustavo S. Figueiredo , Majlinda Lako , Anvar Shukurov , Francisco C. Figueiredo , Laura E. Wadkin\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.jtos.2025.08.005\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><h3>Purpose</h3><div>Limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), a sight-threatening condition, is caused by dysfunction of the limbal stem cells (LSCs) which maintain the corneal epithelium. An effective treatment of LSCD is the transplantation of <em>ex-vivo</em> cultured LSCs from the patient's healthy other eye (in unilateral cases) or a donor eye (in bilateral cases) to the affected eye. Here we identify and quantify diagnostic and monitoring criteria for the recovery of the corneal epithelium post-LSC transplant using cellular images.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We consider the <em>in-vivo</em> confocal microscopy (IVCM) images from 10 patients with total unilateral LSCD caused by chemical burns, taken before and after LSC transplant. Images encompass the entire thickness of the corneal epithelium in the central and four peripheral regions. Approximately 1500 images were segmented using a bespoke algorithm to extract morphological data for analysis.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The probability density of cell areas is shown to be a sensitive monitoring tool of corneal epithelial status. After a successful operation the distribution of cell areas is rather flat, reflecting an anomalously wide range of cell areas. As the cornea recovers, the distribution narrows with high statistical confidence and approaches that of the healthy cornea. We find a strong patient-to-patient variability in the epithelial cell area distribution and its variation with corneal depth. The corneal epithelial cell shape is independent of the cornea status despite a widespread expectation that healthy cells are roughly hexagonal.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Cell area is a sensitive and easily accessible marker of corneal epithelial recovery in LSCD patients post-LSC transplant.</div></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":54691,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Ocular Surface\",\"volume\":\"38 \",\"pages\":\"Pages 266-273\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":5.6000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-08-20\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Ocular Surface\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"3\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1542012425001053\",\"RegionNum\":1,\"RegionCategory\":\"医学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q1\",\"JCRName\":\"OPHTHALMOLOGY\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Ocular Surface","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1542012425001053","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"OPHTHALMOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
IVCM image analysis for limbal stem cell deficiency: quantitative diagnostics of the corneal epithelium post-transplant recovery
Purpose
Limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), a sight-threatening condition, is caused by dysfunction of the limbal stem cells (LSCs) which maintain the corneal epithelium. An effective treatment of LSCD is the transplantation of ex-vivo cultured LSCs from the patient's healthy other eye (in unilateral cases) or a donor eye (in bilateral cases) to the affected eye. Here we identify and quantify diagnostic and monitoring criteria for the recovery of the corneal epithelium post-LSC transplant using cellular images.
Methods
We consider the in-vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) images from 10 patients with total unilateral LSCD caused by chemical burns, taken before and after LSC transplant. Images encompass the entire thickness of the corneal epithelium in the central and four peripheral regions. Approximately 1500 images were segmented using a bespoke algorithm to extract morphological data for analysis.
Results
The probability density of cell areas is shown to be a sensitive monitoring tool of corneal epithelial status. After a successful operation the distribution of cell areas is rather flat, reflecting an anomalously wide range of cell areas. As the cornea recovers, the distribution narrows with high statistical confidence and approaches that of the healthy cornea. We find a strong patient-to-patient variability in the epithelial cell area distribution and its variation with corneal depth. The corneal epithelial cell shape is independent of the cornea status despite a widespread expectation that healthy cells are roughly hexagonal.
Conclusion
Cell area is a sensitive and easily accessible marker of corneal epithelial recovery in LSCD patients post-LSC transplant.
期刊介绍:
The Ocular Surface, a quarterly, a peer-reviewed journal, is an authoritative resource that integrates and interprets major findings in diverse fields related to the ocular surface, including ophthalmology, optometry, genetics, molecular biology, pharmacology, immunology, infectious disease, and epidemiology. Its critical review articles cover the most current knowledge on medical and surgical management of ocular surface pathology, new understandings of ocular surface physiology, the meaning of recent discoveries on how the ocular surface responds to injury and disease, and updates on drug and device development. The journal also publishes select original research reports and articles describing cutting-edge techniques and technology in the field.
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