A Surgical Cryoprobe for Targeted Transcorneal Freezing and Endothelial Cell Removal

Figure 4

Effects of a 3 sec freeze on the rabbit cornea in vivo using the 2.4 mm diameter/concave profile cryoprobe tip. (a) 24 hrs after freeze, central corneal thickness (CCT) is increased considerably (769 μm) compared to that before freeze (383 μm), and the cornea is hazy, indicative of corneal endothelial damage, as well as epithelial and stromal cell damage. (b) 10 days after a freeze injury (in a different animal), CCT was at normal levels. (c) This was the case also, 1 month after treatment. (b and c) Some corneal haziness at the level of the posterior stroma or Descemet’s membrane is evident at 10 days and 1 month.

(a)

(b)

(c)