Comparison of the Center and Flex-Center Methods of Corneal Endothelial Cell Analysis in the Presence of Guttae

Purpose: To compare endothelial cell analysis by the center and flex-center methods in corneas with guttae of differing severity and to determine the minimum countable cell number for using only the flex-center method.
Methods: Forty-seven eyes with corneal guttae and 50 age-matched normal controls were enrolled in the study. Three images were captured in each central cornea with the noncontact specular microscope. Endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation (CV), and percentage of hexagonal cells (HEX) were analyzed by trained graders, using both center and flex-center methods.
Results: Consistent ECD and HEX values were obtained in normal eyes by both methods (P> 0.05). In corneas with guttae, ECD values obtained by the center method were 2.4% higher than those obtained with the flex-center method (P

Source: Cornea - November 3, 2017 Category: Opthalmology Tags: Clinical Science Source Type: research