THINNING OF DONOR GRAFT AFTER CONVENTIONAL DESCEMET’S STRIPPING AUTOMATED ENDOTHELIAL KERATOPLASTY

Published 2022 - 26th ESCRS Winter Meeting

Reference: P252 | Type: Abstracts | DOI: 10.82333/6j73-e007

Authors: Tomislav Kuzman* ¹ , Miro Kalauz ¹ , Sanja Masnec ¹ , Ana Kuzman ² , Marija Barisic Kutija ¹ , Ivana Gabric ¹

¹Department of ophthalmology,University Hospital Center Zagreb,Zagreb,Croatia, ²Department of ophthalmology,University Hospital Dubrava,Zagreb,Croatia

Purpose

Purpose of this study is to evaluate postoperative deturgescence of lamellar donor graft after conventional Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK).

Setting

All patients were operated and evaluated at Department of ophthalmology, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Croatia.

Methods

It was prospective study that included 55 eyes of patients (mean age 70,9 ± 9,4 years; female 61,8%, male 38,2%) who undergone DSAEK keratoplasty. Preoperative thickness of lamella measured by pachimetry in eye bank was compared with postoperative thickness measured with anterior ocular coherence tomography (a-OCT) six months after surgery.

Results

Central lamellar graft thickness decreased from 142 ± 27 µm preoperatively to 124 ± 20 µm 6 months postoperatively (p<0,01). After performing conventional DSAEK corneal transplantation, surgeons should expect deturgescence of corneal graft and reduction in thickness of lamellae about 12% of initial thickness according to our results.

Conclusion

It is important to know value of postoperative thinning of lamellae for better planning of surgical procedures and knowing what to expect after surgery, and also for better cooperation with eye banks when ordering precut corneal tissue.