Abstract
This study aimed to compare outcomes and early complications using an endothelium-in pull-through Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) technique with preloaded versus surgeon-loaded donor tissue. Data from 163 eyes of 125 patients at the Wilmer Eye Institute diagnosed with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy who underwent DMEK with or without cataract extraction using surgeon-loaded tissue (n = 83) or preloaded tissue (n = 80) were reviewed. Best-corrected visual acuity and early postoperative complications including small graft detachment (less than one third of the graft area), large graft detachment (more than one third), graft failure, and rebubbling were compared. Baseline characteristics including age, sex, and visual acuity were not statistically different between the groups. Small graft detachment was observed in 18.1% of the surgeon-loaded and 22.5% of the preloaded group ( P = 0.48), whereas large detachment occurred in 12.0% and 5.0%, respectively ( P = 0.11). Among these, rebubbling was performed in 18 (21.7%) in the surgeon-loaded compared with 12 (15.0%) in the preloaded group ( P = 0.27). The rebubbling rate of the combined procedure (cataract surgery and DMEK) was 21.8% and of DMEK alone was 7.7% ( P = 0.048). Primary graft failure occurred in 2 surgeon-loaded cases (2.4%) and 1 preloaded case (1.3%) ( P = 0.58). There was no difference in postoperative best-corrected visual acuity at 1 year (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution 0.21 ± 0.25 for the surgeon-loaded vs. 0.16 ± 0.16 for the preloaded group, P = 0.23). DMEK surgery using preloaded endothelium-in tissue has comparable outcomes with surgeon-loaded endothelium-in tissue. However, there was a trend toward the lower rebubbling rate in DMEK alone compared with combined procedures.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.