Intravital microscopy of leukocyte-endothelial dynamics using theHeidelberg confocal laser microscope in scleritis and allergicconjunctivitis

[摘要] Purpose: To examine leukocyte-endothelial cell rolling and arrest inhuman ocular vessels overlying sites of inflammation in various ocularinflammatory diseases in comparison to normal controls using theHeidelberg confocal laser microscope, which provides images with greaterclarity and resolution than the tandem scanning microscope that useswhite light.Methods: Healthy controls (n=8) and patients with active anteriorscleritis (n=7) or allergic eye disease (n=4) were scanned using theHeidelberg confocal laser microscope (HRT II) with the Rostock corneamodule attachment for a minimum of 5 min at a depth of 45-120 μm fromthe conjunctival epithelial surface.Results: There was a marked increase in the number of rollingleukocytes in scleritis patients (534+/-119 cells per mm2/min)versus controls (6+/-6 cells per mm2/min; p=0.0002) or allergicpatients (59+/-44 cells per mm2/min; p=0.009). No statisticallysignificant increase was seen in allergic patients compared to controls(p=0.059). A similar pattern was seen in the number of arrestedleukocytes in patients with scleritis (56+/-23 cells per mm2) incomparison to either those with allergic eye disease or controls (each=0cells per mm2; p=0.02).Conclusions: Patients with scleritis have a significantly increasednumber of rolling and arrested leukocytes in superficial ocular vesselsin comparison to patients with mild allergic conjunctivitis andcontrols. The image quality with this microscope is superior to priorstudies with a scanning microscope.

[学科分类] 生物化学/生物物理