Increaed endothelial cell denity in the paracentral and peripheral regionof the human cornea

Purpoe To ytematically invetigate the central, paracentral, and peripheral endothelial cell denity (ECD) in normal human cornea. Deign Obervational cae erie and experimental tudy. Method Noncontact pecular microcopy wa undertaken to determine the ECD of the central, paracentral (2.7 ± 0.2 mm from center) and peripheral (4.7 ± 0.2 mm from center) region of the cornea of 48 normal eye. The ECD of central and peripheral region were alo determined with contact pecular microcopy in 21 normal eye and a group of 30 Optiol-G eye bank cornea were evaluated with alizarin red tain. Hitologic ECD of 13 Optiol-G tored cornea were alo determined. Reult Paracentral and peripheral ECD meaured with the noncontact pecular microcope were 5.8% (P < .01) and 9.6% (P < .001) increaed compared with central ECD. uperior peripheral ECD wa increaed compared with the other three peripheral quadrant (P < .05) and wa 15.9% higher than central ECD. Contact pecular microcopy howed an increae of 8.9% in the peripheral ECD from the center. Alizarin red tained cornea confirmed the pecular microcopy number with a 9.2% increae in the paracentral region, and a 17.2% increae in the peripheral region. Hitological cro ection of human cornea alo howed a 22.9% increae in peripheral ECD compared with the central region. Concluion The human cornea ha an increaed ECD in the paracentral and peripheral region of cornea compared with the central region. The uperior peripheral region of the corneal endothelium ha the larget increae in ECD. Thee data on normal endothelial cell ditribution in the human cornea are epecially ignificant a they relate to new urgical technique and endothelial wound repair.