Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with corneal neovascularization
Keywords:
corneal neovascularization; herpetic keratitis; transplant rejectionAbstract
Introduction: Corneal neovascularization constitutes a cause of loss of transparency and blindness, arising from an imbalance between proangiogenic and antiangiogenic factors. It is related to infectious, inflammatory, traumatic, and immunological processes.
Objective: To determine the clinical and epidemiological behavior of patients with corneal neovascularization.
Methods: Observational, descriptive, and retrospective study of 11 patients with corneal neovascularization treated between January 2020 and January 2023. Clinical variables extracted from medical records were analyzed: age, sex, etiology, localization, depth, and extent of the corneal neovascularization. Data were processed using frequencies and percentages.
Results: Male predominance (72%). Infectious causes were the most frequent (54.5%), with higher incidence of post-keratitis leukoma due to herpes simplex (36.4%). Inflammatory causes represented 36.4%, with notable corneal transplant rejection (27.3%). Neovascularization predominantly involved a single quadrant (54.5%), especially in infections; rejection was associated with two quadrants. Superficial neovascularization (type A, 54.5%) was more common in inflammatory causes, while deep neovascularization (type B, 45.5%) predominated in infections. The most frequent localization was the mid-periphery (45.5%).
Conclusions: Corneal neovascularization shows distinct clinical patterns according to etiology: infections, especially herpes simplex, are associated with greater depth and extent, whereas inflammatory neovascularization tends to be more superficial. Characterization is key for therapeutic management and visual prognosis in corneal transplants.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Yardanis Hernández Fernández, Zaadia Perez Parra , Yereyni Leon Rodriguez , Madelyn Jareño Ochoa , Mildrey Elsa Moreno Ramirez , Irene Rojas Rondon
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