Villani Edoardo, Galimberti Daniela, Viola Francesco, Mapelli Chiara, Ratiglia Roberto
Clinica Oculistica Università degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, Milan, Italy.
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007 May;48(5):2017-22. doi: 10.1167/iovs.06-1129.
To analyze the in vivo morphology of corneal cells and nerves in dry eye associated with primary (SSI) and secondary (SSII) Sjögren's syndrome and to study its relationship with the clinical evaluation.
Thirty-five patients with SS and 20 age- and gender-matched control subjects were studied. Confocal microscopy was used to investigate corneal thickness, epithelial and stromal cellular density, and subbasal plexus morphology.
Corneal central thickness was 514.74 +/- 19.85 microm in the SS group and 550 +/- 21.46 microm in the control group (P < 0.0001, t-test); stromal central thickness was 456.62 +/- 18.05 microm in the SS group and 487.35 +/- 20.40 microm in the control group (P < 0.0001). The density of the superficial epithelial cells in the SSI and SSII groups was 965.40 +/- 96.00 and 999.80 +/- 115.67 cells/mm(2), respectively, and 1488.55 +/- 133.74 cells/mm(2) in the control group (P < 0.001, ANOVA). The number of subbasal nerves was 3.34 +/- 0.76 in the SS group and 5.10 +/- 0.79 in the control group (P < 0.0001, t-test). The average grade of nerve tortuosity was 2.62 +/- 0.94 in the SS group and 1.20 +/- 0.70 in the control group (P < 0.0001). Statistically significant correlations were found between clinical data and confocal microscopy data.
Corneal thickness, cells, and nerves show morphologic changes in patients with dry eye associated with SS. The in vivo confocal study of these alterations may be important in better understanding the complexity of the ocular surface morphofunctional unit and the potentials of therapeutic approaches for the control of the phlogistic process and neuroprotection.
分析原发性（SSI）和继发性（SSII）干燥综合征相关干眼患者角膜细胞和神经的体内形态，并研究其与临床评估的关系。
研究了35例干燥综合征患者和20例年龄及性别匹配的对照者。使用共焦显微镜检查角膜厚度、上皮和基质细胞密度以及基底神经丛形态。
干燥综合征组角膜中央厚度为514.74±19.85微米，对照组为550±21.46微米（P<0.0001，t检验）；干燥综合征组基质中央厚度为456.62±18.05微米，对照组为487.35±20.40微米（P<0.0001）。SSI组和SSII组浅表上皮细胞密度分别为965.40±96.00和999.80±115.67个细胞/mm²，对照组为1488.55±133.74个细胞/mm²（P<0.001，方差分析）。干燥综合征组基底神经数量为3.34±0.76，对照组为5.10±0.79（P<0.0001，t检验）。干燥综合征组神经弯曲平均等级为2.62±0.94，对照组为1.20±0.70（P<0.0001）。临床数据与共焦显微镜数据之间存在统计学显著相关性。
干燥综合征相关干眼患者的角膜厚度、细胞和神经呈现形态学变化。对这些改变进行体内共焦研究对于更好地理解眼表形态功能单位的复杂性以及控制炎症过程和神经保护治疗方法的潜力可能具有重要意义。
