METHOD FOR CORNEAL EPITHELIAL LAYER RECONSTRUCTION IN LIMBAL STEM CELL DEFICIENCY SYNDROME IN PATIENTS WITH THINNED CORNEA Russian patent published in 2022 - IPC A61F9/07 

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: invention refers to medicine, namely to ophthalmology, and can be used in treating patients with limbal stem cell deficiency syndrome (LSCD) leading to complete or partial corneal conjunctivalisation. For this purpose, fibrovascular tissue is excised. A mark with diameter of 7.0 to 8.5 mm is made on the patient’s cornea with a marker along the periphery depending on the initial size of the cornea. A metered diamond knife is used to perform a superficial keratectomy to a depth of not less than half the thickness of the cornea. Then surface layers of stroma are separated from deep layers. A cornea is excised along the previously marked diameter. Further, deep layers of corneal stroma are exfoliated and removed. Radial incisions are made in the paralimbal area of the cornea; an oblique or horizontal tunnel of up to 1.0 mm is formed in each incision with a splitter; one fragment is placed in each tunnel. As a protective coating, an amniotic membrane is applied on the entire surface of the cornea and fixed with a continuous suture outside the limb.

EFFECT: invention makes it possible to compensate for corneal thickness to physiological values and, as a result, creates favorable conditions for growth of epithelial cells on the graft surface, which provides improved visual functions with reduced volume of surgical trauma and reduced risk of graft rejection.

1 cl, 2 dwg, 3 ex