AIM: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of tissue-engineered epithelium transplantation on decreasing corneal neovascularization in patients with limbal stem cell deficiencies caused by alkali burns.

METHODS: A non-randomized, retrospective observational case series included 23 eyes of 19 cases with severe corneal alkali burns from 2006 to 2011 in our hospital. All of these eyes had complete limbal stem cell deficiencies. Ten cases(13 eyes)were performed with tissue-engineered epithelium transplantation, and 9 cases(10 eyes)were performed with amnion membrane transplantation. Vascularization was observed in all cases by slit-lamp microscope before and after surgery. A neovascularization scoring system was used to evaluate each eye at the 21^th and 60^th after surgery.

RESULTS: At the 21^th day and 60^th day after tissue-engineered epithelium transplantation or amniotic membrane transplantation was performed, corneal neovascularization decreased significantly(P<0.05). And averaged scores of corneal neovascularization were significantly lower in tissue-engineered epithelium transplantation group at the 21^th day and 60^th day after surgery than those of amniotic membrane transplantation group(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Tissue-engineered epithelium transplantation is more effective in inhibitting the growth of corneal neovascularization in patients with limbal stem cell deficiencies caused by alkali burn than amnion membrane transplantation.