Corneal endothelial anomalies in the fetal alcohol syndrome
F. Carones, R. Brancato, E. Venturi, S. Bianchi and R. Magni
Department of Ophthalmology, Scientific Institute San Raffaele Hospital, University of Milano, Italy.
The fetal alcohol syndrome involves various neural crest-derived structures
thus causing systemic and ocular malformations. This study investigated
anomalies of the corneal endothelium, a neural crest-derived tissue, in
eight children affected by fetal alcohol syndrome without known anterior
segment anomalies. We performed specular biomicroscopy on the central
corneal endothelium. The data were then compared with those from 80
age-matched healthy children, applying the same methods. Significant
differences were found between patients with fetal alcohol syndrome and
healthy subjects for mean cell density (P = .032), polymegethism (P =
.000), and percentage of hexagonal cells (P = .000). We also found a close
correlation between endothelial anomalies and auditory dysfunction in the
patients with fetal alcohol syndrome. These alterations may be a
consequence of alcohol-induced toxic effects on neural crest cells destined
to form both the corneal endothelium and the organ of Corti in the same
embryogenic period.
