Amniotic Membrane Transplantation for Reconstruction of Ocular Surface Lesion Excisions in Pediatric Population.

Purpose: To define the use of human amniotic membrane transplantation (hAMT) for reconstruction of the ocular surface after ocular surface lesion excisions in pediatric population during the last decade in a tertiary eye center. Methods: A total of 31 patients who underwent hAMT procedure because of the excision of ocular surface lesions between January 2009 and December 2021 were included in this study. The medical data were retrospectively evaluated. Results: The female-to-male ratio was 14/17. The mean age of the patients was 10.1±4.1 (range, 1–18) years. Although a single hAMT was applied to most of the cases (94.4%; 34 eyes), more than one hAMT was applied to 5.6% of cases (2 eyes). The amniotic membrane degradation duration was found to be 21.5±10.8 (range, 13–50) days. Conclusions: Amniotic membrane is used as a biomaterial in various ocular surface diseases with its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and wound healing properties. Although widely used, there are only a few studies reporting its clinical efficacy in the pediatric age group. It seems to be safe and effective in pediatric age group for ocular surface reconstruction after ocular surface lesion excisions.