Beyond subjective grading: objective quantification of corneal neovascularization by mathematical modeling of slit-lamp photographs after Holoclar therapy – a proof-of-concept study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Dataset Description This dataset contains longitudinal clinical ophthalmic images acquired from five patients with moderate to severe limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) caused by chemical or thermal ocular injuries who underwent Holoclar transplantation in the Czech Republic. The dataset includes clinical photographs of the anterior eye segment obtained before treatment and during postoperative follow-up at 6 and 12 months. These images document changes in corneal neovascularization, epithelial integrity, and corneal transparency following transplantation of ex vivo-expanded autologous limbal stem cells. The associated study introduces a quantitative image-processing framework for the assessment of corneal vascularization, combining Hessian-based vessel enhancement, Otsu thresholding, and morphological skeletonization. The proposed methodology enables quantitative evaluation of vascular area and vessel junctions, supporting objective monitoring of corneal vascular changes over time. The dataset provides clinical imaging material for research in ophthalmology, regenerative medicine, biomedical image processing, automated corneal vessel segmentation, quantitative vascular analysis, and longitudinal assessment of treatment outcomes. Dataset Content Holoclar_RAW_Data.pdf: Clinical anterior-segment photographs from five patients, organized by patient and representing preoperative and postoperative examinations at 6 and 12 months. Ethical_Approval.pdf: Documentation of the favorable opinion issued by the Ethics Committee of University Hospital Brno. Ethical Approval The clinical study was approved by the Ethics Committee of University Hospital Brno, Czech Republic, on June 9, 2021 (Reference No. 48/21Nei; Protocol No. CCD-GP-LSCD01-05). The research was conducted in accordance with the principles of Good Clinical Practice and the Declaration of Helsinki.
Language: English
Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7223266604