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Evaluation Aqueous Humor Dynamics and Functional Return in a Long-Term Survivor after Whole Eye Transplantation
He L, Li Y, Komatsu C, Miller MR, Wang B, van der Merwe Y, Dong L, Tang H, Rosner I, Solari MG, Guo S, Schuman JS, Chan KC, Gorantla VS, Washington KM.
Department of Plastic Surgery, UPMC
2016-01-31
Presenter: He L
Affidavit:
I certify that the material proposed for presentation in this abstract has not been published in any scientific journal or previously presented at a major meeting.
Director Name: Kia Washington
Author Category: Fellow Plastic Surgery
Presentation Category: Basic Science Research
Abstract Category: General Reconstruction
Purpose: Whole eye transplantation gives the opportunity to regain sight to recipients with irreversible vision loss. The purpose of our study is to establish a rat whole eye transplant model and evaluate gross morphology, viability and structural integrity of the eye after long-term survival.
Methods: A syngeneic transplant was performed in a Lewis rat. The donor flap is composed of ocular tissue, the skin around the eye and external ear. The recipient was prepared by removing a similar region of skin and ocular tissue. The graft was transplanted and vascular anastomoses and optical nerve appositions were performed. Optical coherence tomography (OCT), gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroretinography (ERG) were performed after surgery.
Results: The long-term survivor was at least 482 days PO at the time of testing. Although corneal opacification prohibited OCT imaging of the retina of the transplanted eye, the retina of the native eye revealed maintenance of structural integrity. MRI imaging revealed the presence aqueous humor dynamics in the native eye were comparable to normal control eyes. ERG revealed the lack of an electrical response in the transplanted eye but normal responses to light stimuli in the native eye.
Conclusions: We have established a viable orthotopic model for vascularized whole eye transplantation in the rat. Preliminary longitudinal study of our model reveals that structural integrity and function are maintained in the native eye of long-term survivor.
