Specular microscopy of the different regions of the cornea in enucleated swine eyes - ex vivo evaluation

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the endothelial cell density (ECD) and hexagonality of the cornea in the different regions of healthy swine corneal endothelium using specular microscopy. Twenty-four eyeballs from 12 male, 6-month-old Large White pigs (Sus scrofa domesticus) were studied. Contact specular microscopy was performed in the central, superior, inferior, lateral and medial regions. The corneal parameters analysed in this study were ECD and hexagonality. The ECD in the central region was 1865 cells/mm²; in the upper region, it was 1877 cells/mm², in the lower region, it was 1854 cells/mm², in the lateral region, it was 1847 cells/mm², in the medial region, it was 1831 cells/mm². Hexagonality in the central region, was 53%; in the upper region, it was 54%, in the lower region, it was 54%, in the lateral region, it was 54%, in the medial region, it was 54%. There was no significant difference regarding to the evaluated parameters in all corneal regions evaluated. No statistically significantly differences were observed in ECD and hexagonality between the left and the right eyes. This study demonstrates that ECD and hexagonality of the central cornea area represent the entire endothelial mosaic. Keywords: cornea; endothelium; morphology; cell count, swine.