Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology / Correlation between central stromal demarcation line depth and changes in K values after corneal cross-linking (CXL)

Purpose A stromal demarcation line (DL) after corneal cross-linking (CXL) has lately been suggested as a surrogate parameter for the success of CXL. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between depth of the central DL 1 month and the change in K values 12 months after CXL. Methods Treatment-naive subjects with keratoconus were treated using an accelerated CXL protocol [A-CXL(9*10)]. Depth of the DL/relative depth of the DL (DL%) was measured using Visante OCT imaging 1 month postoperatively (OP). Kmax/K2.5 (preOP) and change in Kmax/K2.5 (preOP12 months postOP) were assessed using corneal tomography (Pentacam HR, Oculus GmBH). Results Forty eyes were treated following the A-CXL(9*10). The mean DL depth was 20099 m (range 71 to 479)/mean DL%=42.7020.00% (range 1790). There was no statistically significant correlation between stromal depth of the DL and change in Kmax or K2.5, respectively (Spearman rho DL/Kmax 0.14 and DL/K2.5 0.14). Between DL% and the changes in maximum K values or K2.5, no statistically significant correlation was found as well (Spearman rho DL%/Kmax 0.10 and DL%/K2.5 0.19). Mean change in Kmax after 12 months was 0.682.26 diopters (D) (median 0.35 D) and 0.821.6 D (median 0.65 D) for K2.5 (p=0.07; p=0.02). Conclusions No statistically significant correlation was found between the stromal central depth of the DL and any outcome parameter for CXL after 12 months. Therefore, the interpretation of the DL as a predictive parameter for the effect of the procedure may not apply.(VLID)357508