Initial outcomes of mitomycin intravascular chemoembolization (MICE) for corneal neovascularization

PURPOSE: To report on the preliminary outcomes of mitomycin C (MMC) intravascular chemoembolization (MICE) for corneal neovascularization (NV). METHODS: This is a retrospective case series of three consecutive eyes that underwent MICE for progressive corneal NV with sight threatening lipid keratopathy. A 1.0 cc syringe was partially filled with MMC (0.4 mg/mL) and attached to a 33-gauge needle used to cannulate the vessels. The MMC (0.01–0.05 ml) was injected with enough retrograde hydrostatic force to fill efferent and afferent vessels. Follow-up ranged from 4 months to 1 year. RESULTS: Three eyes of three patients aged 59, 73 and 33 years were included. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications associated with the MICE procedure. Patient 1 presented with progressive corneal NV and lipid keratopathy secondary to herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) and a best-corrected spectacle visual acuity (BSCVA) of 20/100 Snellen. At one-year post-MICE, there was no recurrence (BSCVA was 20/20 Snellen). Patient 2 presented with idiopathic lipid keratopathy (BSCVA 20/50 Snellen). At four months post-MICE, there were no signs of recurrence (BSCVA 20/20 Snellen). Patient 3 presented with corneal NV and lipid keratopathy secondary to HZO (BSCVA 20/30 Snellen). At four months following two MICE treatments, resolution of the lipid keratopathy was noted (BSCVA 20/20 Snellen). CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary findings suggest that MICE may be an additional modality for treating progressive corneal NV with lipid keratopathy. Larger comparative studies with longer follow-up are warranted. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10792-022-02240-6.