| Presentation preference | Poster presentation |
| Title | Association between corneal endothelial cell density and aqueous cytokine levels after penetrating keratoplasty |
| Purpose | To investigate the association between preoperative cytokine levels in the aqueous humor (AqH) and corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) 3 years after penetrating keratoplasty (PKP). |
| Methods | This study included 87 eyes, including 54 eyes in the PKP group and 33 control eyes in the cataract surgery group, of patients who underwent surgery at Tokyo Dental College Ichikawa General Hospital, Chiba, Japan between 2015 and 2019. The PKP group was divided into two subgroups based on ECD. Group 1; ECD <1200 cells/mm2 or endothelial failure at 3 years after PKP (n=38); group 2: ECD >1200 cells/mm2 (n=16). AqH cytokines were measured using Luminex and multivariate analyses were performed to find correlations between ECD and various clinical factors. |
| Results | Levels of IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17A, MIP-1β, MCP-1, IFN-γ, E-selectin, P-selectin, and sICAM-1 were significantly higher in group 1 than in the control group, whereas only levels of IL-6 and IL-17A were significantly higher in group 2 than in the control group. IL-8 and IFN-γ were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1. ECD reduction rate after PKP per year was significantly correlated with IL-6, IL-8, IL-12p70, MCP-1, IFN-γ, and sICAM-1. Several cytokines were significantly increased in correlation with iris damage, glaucoma, lens status, PKP history, and graft failure. There was no significant difference in cytokine levels between different etiologies of PKP. |
| Conclusion | Elevated AqH cytokine levels were associated with reduced ECD after PKP. AqH cytokine levels showed significant correlations with several clinical factors. These findings provide new insight into the pathogenesis of ECD loss after PKP. |
| Conflict of interest | No |
Authors 1
| Last name | MATSUMAE |
| Initials of first name(s) | H |
| Department | Department of Ophthalmology, Ichikawa General Hospital, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba, Japan. Departme |
| City | Chiba |
| Country | Japan |
Authors 2
| Last name | YAMAGUCHI |
| Initials of first name(s) | T |
| Department | Department of Ophthalmology, Ichikawa General Hospital, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba, Japan |
| City | Chiba |
| Country | Japan |
Authors 3
| Last name | YAGUCHI |
| Initials of first name(s) | Y |
| Department | Department of Ophthalmology, Ichikawa General Hospital, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba, Japan |
| City | Chiba |
| Country | Japan |
Authors 4
| Last name | HIGA |
| Initials of first name(s) | K |
| Department | Department of Ophthalmology, Ichikawa General Hospital, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba, Japan |
| City | Chiba |
| Country | Japan |
