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Autologous Platelet-rich Plasma in the Treatment of Persistent Epithelial Defects

Not Applicable
Recruiting
Conditions
Persistent Epithelial Defect
Interventions
Combination Product: BCL plus PFL
Combination Product: PRP plus BCL
Combination Product: Eye patch plus ocular lubricant ointment
Registration Number
NCT03653650
Lead Sponsor
Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
Brief Summary

Persistent epithelial defects (PED) are corneal ulcers that do not heal within the first two weeks of treatment with artificial tears or ocular lubricant ointment. It is believed that this condition is the result of the loss of certain substances normally present in the tears that aid in the healing process of the cornea. When the eye is healthy, these ulcers typically heal rapidly. However, when there is an underlying disease such as diabetes, this healing process is altered and it takes longer for the ulcer to heal. Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a substance that is obtained from the patient's own blood and it is believed this substance may replace those missing factors in the tears of patients with PED. The purpose of this investigation is to find out whether PRP combined with a bandage contact lens is better than preservative free lubricant combined with bandage contact lens or than eye patch with ocular lubricant ointment for the treatment of PED. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the three groups and will get the treatment until the ulcer heals completely. We will count the days it takes for the PED to heal and based on that we will determine wich treatment is more effective (the treatment that takes the least days to heal will be considered the most effective). Since this disease is difficult to treat and doesn't have a gold standard treatment, usually the available treatments are not as good as we would like, therefore, the ulcer might progress even to perforation regardless of the treatment. In these cases, we will provide appropriate treatment for progressive corneal thinning and corneal perforation.

Detailed Description

Persistent epithelial defects (PED) are corneal lesions that do not heal within the first two weeks of conventional treatment (i.e. preservative-free lubricant, bandage contact lens (BCL), ocular lubricant ointment, eye patching). These defects are the result of the loss of certain lacrimal factors that maintain the integrity and homeostasis of the corneal epithelium and ocular surface. Normally, PED heal rapidly in the healthy eye. However, underlying ocular surface pathology can slow down the healing process and contribute to the persistence of the epithelial defect. Hematopoietic derivatives such as autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) may replace these missing components and eventually lead to complete healing in a faster and more comfortable way for the patient. The objective of this study is to determine if PRP combined with BCL is more effective than preservative-free lubricant combined with BCL or than eye patch with ocular lubricant ointment for the treatment of PED. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the three groups and treatment will be administered until achieving complete defect closure. The effectiveness of each treatment will be measured in terms of days taken to achieve complete closure. Since PED is a complex disease that is difficult to treat, the available treatments are not very effective, therefore, PED might progress even to perforation regardless of the treatment. In this last scenario, we will provide appropriate treatment for progressive corneal thinning and corneal perforation

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
54
Inclusion Criteria
  • Patients with persistent epithelial defect and at least one of the following diagnoses:

    • Recurrent corneal epithelial defect.
    • Neurotrophic corneal ulcer.
    • Neurotrophic keratopathy secondary to any disease (i.e. diabetes mellitus, infection with herpes simplex virus or herpes zoster virus, microbial keratitis sequelae, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, VII cranial nerve palsy, chemical or thermic burn sequelae, trauma, surgery, iatrogenic, chronic dry eye, rheumatic disease).
Exclusion Criteria
  • Patients diagnosed with:

    • Peripheral ulcerative keratitis, or Mooren's ulcer.
    • Active infectious keratitis and/or ulcers.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
BCL plus PFLBCL plus PFLBandage contact lens (BCL) plus 1 preservative-free lubricant (PFL) eye drop every 1 to 3 hours.
PRP plus BCLPRP plus BCLBandage contact lens (BCL) plus 1 autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) eye drop every 1 to 3 hours.
Eye patch plus ocular lubricant ointmentEye patch plus ocular lubricant ointmentEye patch plus ocular lubricant ointment every 24 hours.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Persistent epithelial defect healing time.From the first day of treatment until the date of complete defect closure, assessed up to 3 months.

Persistent epithelial defect healing time measured in days.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Uncorrected visual acuityEvery week (or sooner, if needed) from date of randomization until the date of complete defect closure, up to 3 months.

Uncorrected visual acuity will be assessed using Snellen cards. Measurements will be converted to LogMar values for statistical analysis.

Best corrected visual acuityEvery week (or sooner, if needed) from date of randomization until the date of complete defect closure, up to 3 months.

Best corrected visual acuity will be assessed using Snellen cards. Measurements will be converted to LogMar values for statistical analysis.

Change in corneal sensitivityChange from baseline corneal sensitivity at the date of defect closure, up to 3 months.

Corneal sensitivity will be assessed with corneal esthesiometer Cochet-Bonnet.

Frequency of adverse events, recurrences and/or treatment failureThese will be evaluated from the beginning of the treatment until three months after defect closure.

Frequency of adverse events, recurrences and/or treatment failure will be evaluated during the ophthalmic evaluation.

Ocular painEvery week (or sooner, if needed) from date of randomization until the date of complete defect closure, up to 3 months.

Ocular pain will be assessed using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale. The scale ranges from 0 (no pain) to 10 (maximum pain), and includes 6 faces (visual representation), numbers, and written descriptions that represent the level of pain. The first face represents a pain score of 0 and it reads "no hurt"; the second face represents a pain score of 2 and it reads "hurts little bit"; the third face represents a pain score of 4 and it reads "hurts little more"; the fourth face represents a pain score of 6 and it reads "hurts even more"; the fifth face represents a pain score of 8 and it reads "hurts whole lot"; the last face represents a pain score of 10 and it reads "hurst worst". Lower values represent a better outcome.

Ocular surface symptomsAt date of randomization and at date of defect closure, up to 3 months.

Ocular surface symptoms as assessed by the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). The OSDI questionnaire consists of 12 questions that assess dry eye symptoms and their effects on vision related function. The questionnaire is divided in 3 subscales: ocular symptoms, vision-related function, and environmental triggers. Patients are asked to rate their responses on a 0 to 4 scale where 0 represents "none of the time", 1 "some of the time", 2 "half of the time", 3 "most of the time", and 4 "all of the time". The total score is calculated using the following formula: (\[sum of scores for all questions answered x 100\] / \[total number of questions answered x 4\]). Lower scores represent a better outcome.

Quality of life questionnaireAt date of randomization and at date of defect closure, up to 3 months.

Quality of life as assessed by the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). The NEI VFQ-25 questionnaire consists of 25 questions that assess the effect of visual impairment on the patient's quality of life. The 25-item questionnaire gives a score on a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is the worst score and 100 is the best score. Higher scores represent a better outcome.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Departamento de Oftalmologia, Hospital Universitario "Dr. Jose Eleuterio Gonzalez"

🇲🇽

Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

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