Retrospective Study 7 Years For Lamellar Keratoplasty In Children In King Saudia Arabia

lamellar Keratoplasty (LKP) in the pediatric population is a high-risk surgical procedure, performed less frequently than in the adult population, with rates of one per 19,000 live births in the king Sudia Arabia. The primary outcome of this study was to describe the visual outcome of LKP in a pediatric population in king Sudia Arabia

PRINCE SULTAM MEDICAL MILTARY CITY, RIYADH, Saudi Arabia

Retrospective descriptive study carried out in patients under 12 years of age undergoing Lamellar corneal   transplantation from 2018 to 2025 at Price Sultan Military Medical City Riyadh Saudia Arabia, through the review of operative records and files. Visual acuity (VA) was recorded using Allen and Snellen charts. The study was approved by the hospital   review committee and adhered to the declaration of Helsinki.

19 eyes were studied. 18 corresponded to males; 14 belonged to school-age group, followed by 8 infants and 1   preschooler-age, with improvement of VA in 78.6%, 57% and 100% respectively. Non-traumatic acquired opacity was the    most frequent cause (15/23), with improvement of VA in 75%, compared to congenital opacities (4/23) where 50%   improved and the rest remained the same and in opacities secondary to trauma (4/23) where 100% remained with the   same VA. The rejection rate was 8.6%(2/23), with a complication rate of 21.7%(5/23), where the half presented corneal button ulcer.

The best VA outcomes correspond to acquired causes of non-traumatic origin and in the   preschooler-age, with a very low rejection rate. Lamellar keratoplasty is safer alternative to  penetrating keratoplasty with offer lower risk of graft rejection faster visual rehabilitation and improved management of corneal opacities