Analysis of the effectiveness of transepithelial crosslinking in patients with keratoconus

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the clinical results of Transepithelial Crosslinking (CXL) by analyzing its efficacy in patients with progressive keratoconus. Methods: Retrospective cross-sectional study with 49 eyes and 37 patients aged 10 to 50 years submitted to the CXL technique in 2017 at the Instituto Panamericano da Visão, in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. The Avedro KXL system was programmed in pulsed mode with interval (1/1 second), using 45 mW/cm² with 7.2 J and 0.25% riboflavin solution of Avedro with irradiated corneas for 8 minutes. Data were collected: sex, age, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), astigmatism, pachymetry at the thinnest point and keratometric astigmatism in the preoperative and postoperative periods at 1, 6 and 12 months. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Pearson's Chi-square, Friedman, Dunnett, and the Spearman correlation were used. Results: Twenty-three patients (62.2%) were female and 14 (37.8%) male. The mean age was 27.89 ± 10.89 years. The UDVA and CDVA significantly improved in the preoperative period in relation to 1 month (p = 0.01) and (p <0.001), 6 months (p <0.001 both) and 12 months (p <0.001 both). Astigmatism significantly reduced preoperatively in relation to 6 months (p = 0.02) and 12 months (p = 0.02). The pachymetry at the thinnest point remained constant in the period (p = 0.95). The difference between k2 and k1 (keratometric astigmatism) showed a significant reduction in the preoperative period in relation to 1 month (p = 0.01). Conclusion: The CXL technique was safe and effective in the treatment and stagnation of the disease in patients with progressive keratoconus.