Eye Bank Management of Irregular Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty Lenticules.

PURPOSE: To report the management of precut Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) lenticules unsuitable for transplantation because of irregular anterior profile after microkeratome cutting. METHODS: After preparation for DSAEK, 20 tissues were considered unsuitable for transplantation because of nonhomogeneous posterior stromal thickness. To convert them into suitable tissues for surgery, manual stromal delamination was performed by removing the excess stromal layers after the indications obtained through optical coherence tomography. These tissues were further transplanted as ultrathin DSAEK. RESULTS: Nineteen tissues were delaminated successfully. The average reduction in thickness in the center (63 ± 69 µm; P = 0.0101) and periphery (129 ± 39 µm; P < 0.0001) before and after delamination was significantly different. One tissue showed signs of perforation during manual dissection and therefore considered unsuitable for transplantation. Primary graft failure was reported in one case, but it was not correlated with the tissue preparation. No other clinical complications were observed after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Manual delamination of the stroma because of irregular microkeratome cutting is a viable option to obtain a uniform graft thickness required for DSAEK surgeries. This technique can further reduce tissue wastage that is observed after microkeratome cutting errors.

Limited Vitrectomy versus Complete Vitrectomy for Epiretinal Membranes: A Comparative Multicenter Trial.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether limited vitrectomy is as effective as complete vitrectomy in eyes with epiretinal membrane (ERM) and to compare the surgical times and rates of complications. METHODS: In this multicentre European study, data of eyes with ERM that underwent vitrectomy from January 2017 to July 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. In the limited vitrectomy group, a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) was induced up till the equator as opposed to complete PVD induction till the vitreous base in the comparison group. Incidence of iatrogenic retinal breaks, retinal detachment, surgical time, and visual outcomes were compared between groups. RESULTS: We included 139 eyes in the analysis with a mean age being 72.2 ± 6.9 years. In this, sixty-five eyes (47%) underwent limited vitrectomy and 74 eyes (53%) underwent complete vitrectomy. Iatrogenic retinal tears were seen in both groups (5% in limited vitrectomy versus 7% in complete vitrectomy, p=0.49). Retinal detachment occurred in 2 eyes in the limited vitrectomy group (3%) compared to none in the complete vitrectomy group (p=0.22). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness improved significantly with no intergroup differences (p=0.18). Surgical time was significantly shorter in the limited vitrectomy group with 91% surgeries taking less than 1 hour compared to 71% in the complete vitrectomy group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A limited vitrectomy is a time-efficient and effective surgical procedure for removal of epiretinal membrane with no additional complications.

The Influence of Speed During Stripping in Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Tissue Preparation.

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the speed of stripping a Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty graft influences the graft scroll width. METHODS: Human corneas suitable for research were selected for the study. Pairs of corneas were randomly divided into 2 groups: 1 cornea was stripped with a slow speed (group 1) and the contralateral with a fast speed (group 2). Slow speed was defined as the total time greater than 150 seconds or speed <0.057 mm/s. Fast peeling was defined as less than 75 seconds or speed >0.11 mm/s. The grafts acquired were evaluated by microscopy for the graft scroll width and endothelial cell density change pre- and post-preparation. RESULTS: Twenty corneas of 10 donors were included in the analysis. The mean donor age was 68.6 ± 7.58 years. The mean total time of the tissue preparation in group 1 was 282.7 ± 28 seconds and in group 2 was 126 ± 50 seconds (P-value = 0.00000047). The mean speed of stripping in group 1 was 0.045 ± 0.006 mm/s and in group 2 was 0.266 ± 0.093 mm/s (P-value = 0.000027). The graft width in group 1 was 6.4 ± 0.92 mm and in group 2 was 2.87 ± 0.32 mm (P-value = 0.00000014). The mean endothelial cell loss in group 1 was 389 ± 149 cells/mm and in group 2 was 186 ± 63.44 cells/mm (P-value = 0.00134). CONCLUSION: We found a correlation between the speed of stripping, scroll width, and endothelial cell loss. Slow-peeled Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty grafts result in a wider scroll width but were associated with a greater reduction in endothelial cell density.

Surgical Management of Complications after Dexamethasone Implant.

PURPOSE: To report surgical management of ocular complications occurred after dexamethasone (DEX) implant (Ozurdex®) injection. METHODS: Retrospective interventional case series. RESULTS: Different surgical procedures including viscoexpression to manage the migration of the implant into the anterior chamber, "phaco-rolling" technique for the intralenticular injection, and vitrectomy with implant removal for an acute endophthalmitis were performed. Successful management of different complications after DEX implant by using individualized surgical approaches was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Early and targeted surgical management is required in selected cases of ocular complications after DEX implant. The implant removal was needed to preserve ocular anatomy and function.

Multi-drug resistant Enterococcus faecium in late-onset keratitis after deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty: A case report and review of the literature.

RATIONALE: Interface keratitis after lamellar keratoplasty is one of the causes of graft failure. We report the first case of microbiologically proven Enterococcus faecium infection following deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) and review the available literature. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 37-years-old Caucasian man presented with pain, redness and severe vision loss in his right eye. Five weeks before, he underwent DALK using the FEMTO LDV Z8 in the same eye for the surgical correction of keratoconus. DIAGNOSES: Upon presentation, slit-lamp biomiscroscopy revealed corneal graft edema with multiple infiltrates located in the graft-host interface. INTERVENTIONS: Therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) was carried out in addition with cultures of the donor lenticule removal. Laboratory results isolated a multi-resistant Enterococcus faecium interface infection. According to the antibiogram, the patient was treated with systemic Tigecycline and Linezolid for 7 days. OUTCOMES: During the following weeks, clinical features improved over time and no signs of active infection were visible seven months postoperatively. LESSONS: Early PKP showed to be a good therapeutic option with great anatomic and functional outcomes.