Posters

Five year outcomes of ultrathin Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty

Poster Details

First Author: R.Spena ITALY

Co Author(s):    P. Leon   S. Madi   Y. Nahum   J. Beltz   G. Giannaccare   M. Busin     

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To report the 5-year outcomes of ultrathin Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (UT-DSAEK) with a central graft thickness (CGT) intended to be within 100 µm.

Setting:

Tertiary care, multi-practice centre, "Villa Igea" private hospital, Forlì, Italy

Methods:

354 eyes with endothelial decompensation of various causes (Fuchs endothelial dystrophy, pseudophakic or aphakic bullous keratopathy, failed previous graft, herpetic endotheliitis, or buphthalmus) were evaluated. Donor tissue was prepared using the microkeratome-assisted double-pass technique. Stripping of the Descemet's membrane was performed under air and the graft was delivered into the anterior chamber using the pull-through technique through a 3.2-mm clear-cornea incision using a modified Busin glide. Best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), endothelial cell loss (ECL), graft survival rates, and immunologic rejection rates were evaluated.

Results:

Follow-up data 1, 2, 3 and 5 years after UT-DSAEK was collected from x, y, z, and k eyes, respectively. After exclusion of eyes with comorbidities, BSCVA better than or equal to 20/20 was recorded in 36.3%, 37.%, 46.4%, and 53.4% of eyes, whereas BSCVA better than or equal to 20/40 was documented in 95.5%, 95.3%, 96.0%, and 96.6% of eyes respectively. BSCVAMean ECL was35.4%, 42.3%, 43.3% and 52.3%; graft survival probability was 99.1%, 96.2%, 94.2% and 94.2%, and immunologic rejection rate owasf 3.4%, 4.3%, 5%, and 6.9%.

Conclusions:

UT-DSAEK grafts allow excellent 5-year outcomes, including BSCVA, ECD, and survival rates comparable to those recorded after DMEK, with a slightly higher immunologic rejection rate.

Financial Disclosure:

travel has been funded, fully or partially, by a competing company