Successful management of immunological rejection following allogeneic simple limbal epithelial transplantation (SLET) for bilateral ocular burns

Abstract

A 41-year-old woman presented with bilateral total limbal stem cell deficiency, one year after chemical injury. She underwent allogeneic simple limbal epithelial transplantation (SLET) from a cadaveric donor in her right eye. One month later her unaided visual acuity (VA) improved to 20/100 from hand-motions. The corneal surface was avascular and epithelialised. Three months later, she presented with acute pain in right eye with peripheral corneal neovascularisation encircling the transplants, engorged and tortuous perilimbal vessels and diffuse epithelial haze. For a diagnosis of allograft rejection, pulse doses of intravenous methyl prednisolone with intensive topical steroids were administered. Her symptoms resolved in a week, confirming the diagnosis. She recovered her pre-rejection VA. She was maintained on systemic immunosuppressive agents. Her ocular surface continues to be stable. This case describes hitherto unknown clinical features of allograft rejection following SLET and emphasises the importance of continued immunosuppression in allogeneic limbal transplantation.