Descemet Membrane Detachment Triggered by Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography in a Patient with a History of Penetrating Keratoplasty for Keratoconus Treatment.

Introduction: We report a case of late-onset Descemet membrane detachment triggered by contrast-enhanced computed tomography more than 30 years after penetrating keratoplasty for keratoconus and describe its successful treatment with air tamponade. Case Presentation: A 53-year-old woman with a history of uneventful penetrating keratoplasty more than 30 years ago for keratoconus presented with acute vision loss caused by corneal edema 2 days after undergoing contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Anterior-segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) revealed corneal stromal edema in the graft and Descemet's fold and partial Descemet membrane detachment without a tear. The patient received 0.1% betamethasone eye drops once every hour, along with sub-Tenon's triamcinolone acetonide injection. Anti-inflammatory treatment improved corneal edema; however, the detachment area widened. Air tamponade facilitated complete Descemet membrane reattachment and improved corneal thickness with complete restoration of visual acuity. Conclusion: An immune response may have been involved in the progression of Descemet membrane detachment in this patient. Anti-inflammatory treatment may have facilitated Descemet membrane reattachment prior to air or gas tamponade. AS-OCT is an excellent imaging modality to detect Descemet membrane detachment in eyes with presumed late penetrating graft rejection or failure.

Importance of Higher-Order Aberrations on Both Anterior and Posterior Surfaces After Pterygium Surgery.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in higher-order aberrations (HOAs), coma, and spherical aberrations (SAs) on the anterior, posterior, and total corneal surfaces after pterygium excision. METHODS: In this single-center study, we examined 19 eyes of 15 patients who underwent pterygium excision at Yokohama Minami Kyosai Hospital between January 2017 and December 2017. We also evaluated 25 eyes of 25 age-matched patients with no history of ocular disease as the control group. Corneal topography, total HOAs, coma, and SAs in all regions at 4 and 6 mm diameters were evaluated using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (CASIA SS-1000, Tomey, Japan). The pterygium area and extent were also assessed. RESULTS: Significant improvements in the HOAs, coma, and SAs at both diameters were observed in the total and anterior corneas from the first postoperative month. Notably, the posterior cornea showed significant improvements in HOAs (4 mm: P < 0.001 [log HOAs]; 6 mm: P = 0.001 [log HOAs]) and coma (4 mm: P = 0.003 [log coma], 6 mm: P = 0.002 [log coma]) within both diameters at 1 month postoperatively. A strong correlation was identified among the pterygium area, posterior HOAs, and coma (Spearman correlation = 0.651). Pterygium induced 2 D of astigmatism when extension exceeded 2.1 mm. CONCLUSIONS: HOAs in both the anterior and posterior corneas improved after pterygium excision. This finding underscores the importance of considering corneal aberrations on both anterior and posterior surfaces in pterygium management.

Artificial Intelligence for Lamellar Keratoplasty. / Künstliche Intelligenz bei lamellierenden Keratoplastiken.

The training of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly popular. More and more studies on lamellar keratoplasty are also being published. In particular, the possibility of non-invasive and high-resolution imaging technology of optical coherence tomography predestines lamellar keratoplasty for the application of AI. Although it is technically easy to perform, there are only a few studies on the use of AI to optimise lamellar keratoplasty. The existing studies focus primarily on the prediction probability of rebubbling in DMEK and DSAEK and on their graft adherence, as well as on the formation of a big bubble in DALK. In addition, the automated recording of routine parameters such as corneal oedema, endothelial cell density or the size of the graft detachment is now possible using AI. The optimisation of lamellar keratoplasty using AI holds great potential. Nevertheless, there are limitations to the published algorithms, in that they can only be transferred between centres, surgeons and different device manufacturers to a limited extent.

Double-Bubble Technique Assisted by Holding Forceps: A Modified Technique in Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty for Vitrectomized Eyes With Scleral Fixated Intraocular Lens.

PURPOSE: Several techniques have been developed for graft unfolding approaches in Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). However, despite these techniques, graft deployment and configuration in eyes with deep anterior chambers remain challenging in some cases. Therefore, in this study, we described a modified technique for DMEK, known as the "double-bubble technique assisted by holding forceps." METHODS: This was a retrospective interventional case series. Patients who underwent DMEK between August 2022 and July 2023, including cases with a history of vitrectomy and scleral fixation of intraocular lens, were enrolled in this study. Two experienced surgeons performed DMEK. In brief, after graft insertion into the anterior chamber, the first bubble with a small volume of air was injected above the graft to open the tight roll, and the graft edge was held using a 25-gauge graft manipulator. The second bubble was injected underneath the graft for fixation, while the graft edge was grasped using forceps during gas injection. The graft was released from the forceps. Best spectacle corrected visual acuity, central corneal thickness, endothelial cell density, and incidence of postoperative complications were measured before and after DMEK. RESULTS: Eleven eyes of 11 patients were included in this study (mean follow-up period, 4.5 ± 4.4 months). Best spectacle corrected visual acuity and central corneal thickness significantly improved postoperatively ( P < 0.001). Rebubbling was required in 2 eyes; no other postoperative complications or primary graft failure were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The present technique enables safe and feasible DMEK surgery in vitrectomized eyes with scleral fixated IOLs and in those with a deep anterior chamber.

Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty in Corneal Endothelial Decompensation After a Forceps-Induced Corneal Birth Injury: Case Series and Technique.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe the efficacy of Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) in patients with corneal endothelial decompensation secondary to a forceps-induced corneal birth injury. METHODS: This was a retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series. Four eyes of 4 patients (1 female and 3 males; mean age, 64.0 ± 4.7 years) with corneal endothelial decompensation due to forceps-induced corneal birth injury were included. DMEK was performed in all cases, using a combined technique, including the use of intraoperative optical coherence tomography, vital staining of Descemet membrane of both host and donor, removal of scarred Descemet membrane with side-port forceps and vitreous cutter to smoothen the posterior corneal surface, epithelial peeling, and illumination for visualization. The examination included preoperative and postoperative ophthalmologic examinations: best-corrected visual acuity (converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]), intraocular pressure, endothelial cell density (ECD), and central corneal thickness. RESULTS: No postoperative complications were noted, and corneal transparency was maintained during follow-up (mean follow-up period, 32.0 ± 27.0 months; range, 3-71 months). The mean best-corrected visual acuity was 0.52 ± 0.35 logMAR preoperatively and 0.15 ± 0.09 logMAR at the last visit. The mean postoperative ECD was 1632 ± 631 cells/mm2 (mean ECD at baseline, 3167 cells/mm2). Central corneal thickness decreased from 640 ± 67 µm preoperatively to 576 ± 58 µm postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that DMEK can be performed uneventfully in eyes with a forceps-induced corneal birth injury. The combination of surgical techniques may be an effective approach for DMEK.

Incidence of Graft Rejection in Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty After COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) rejection rate after COVID-19 vaccination with an mRNA vaccine. METHODS: This was a multicenter, retrospective cohort study. A total of 198 patients who underwent DMEK between January 2006 and December 2020 were divided into 2 cohorts: consecutive patients who received at least 1 COVID-19 vaccination in 2021 (vaccination started from February 2021 in Japan) and nonvaccinated patients (control cohort). Patients who had a postoperative observation period of less than 90 days were excluded. The main outcome measurement was the incidence of graft rejection. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used for comparisons with the nonvaccinated group. RESULTS: Six rejection episodes were observed in 198 patients (124 nonvaccinated and 74 vaccinated patients), with 1 occurring in the nonvaccinated group and 5 in the vaccinated group. In the univariate model, vaccination had a significant effect on rejection episodes ( P = 0.003). The effect of vaccination was also significant ( P = 0.004) after adjusting for covariates. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that there may be a higher rejection rate after COVID-19 vaccination in patients who underwent DMEK. Patients should be warned of the rejection risk and its typical symptoms before receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, although further larger studies are needed to confirm the involvement of vaccination.

A Comparison of the Corneal Thickness Following Descemet's Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty and Descemet's Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty.

PURPOSE: To compare the central corneal thickness before and after Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), and to evaluate the recipient corneal thickness following DSAEK. METHODS: The corneal thickness was compared between two groups of eyes following DMEK and DSAEK, performed by a single surgeon between 2015 and 2017. We evaluated the recipient corneal thickness and central corneal thickness pre- and postoperatively at 1, 3, and 6 months using anterior segment optical coherence tomography. Recipient corneal thickness was defined as the corneal thickness without graft thickness. RESULTS: We included DMEK and DSAEK eyes (n = 26 each), which were similar in terms of their etiologies. Preoperatively, there was no significant difference in the central corneal thickness between the groups (DSAEK, median [interquartile range]: 721 [606.5 to 847.8] µm; and DMEK: 690 [618 to 722.3] µm; p = 0.30). Despite the tendency of the central corneal thickness to be significantly greater (p < .01) at 6 months following DSAEK (619.5 [607.8 to 661.3] µm) compared with that following DMEK (497.5 [475.8 to 525.3] µm), there was no significant difference at 6 months between the recipient corneal thickness following DSAEK (488.5 [443.8 to 515] µm) and central corneal thickness following DMEK (p = 0.54). CONCLUSIONS: DSAEK eyes display a similar tendency of stromal thinning as DMEK eyes.

Graft rejection episodes after keratoplasty in Japanese eyes.

We aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors for graft rejection after keratoplasty in Japanese patients. We enrolled 730 cases (566 patients) of penetrating keratoplasty (PK, N = 198), Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK, N = 277), non-Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (nDSAEK, N = 138), and Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK, N = 117). The incidence, clinical characteristics, and possible risk factors for graft rejection were analyzed. Graft rejection occurred in 65 cases (56 patients, 8.9%). The incidence rate of rejection was highest with PK (3.45/100 person-years), followed by DSAEK (2.34), nDSAEK (1.55), and DMEK (0.24). Cox regression analysis revealed keratoplasty type, younger age, indications (such as failed keratoplasty and infection), and steroid eyedrop use as possible risk factors. In the multivariate model adjusting baseline characteristics, PK and DSAEK had significantly higher hazard ratios (HRs) than DMEK (HR = 13.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.83, 101] for PK, 7.77 [1.03, 58.6] for DSAEK). Although not statistically significant, the HR estimate of nDSAEK to DMEK (HR = 7.64, 95% CI [0.98, 59.6]) indicated higher HR in nDSAEK than in DMEK. DMEK is the favorable option among the four surgical procedures to avoid graft rejection after keratoplasty.

Transferability of an Artificial Intelligence Algorithm Predicting Rebubblings After Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty.

PURPOSE: To develop an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm enabling corneal surgeons to predict the probability of rebubbling after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) from images obtained using optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: Anterior segment OCT data of patients undergoing DMEK by 2 different DMEK surgeons (C.C. and B.B.; University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany) were extracted from the prospective Cologne DMEK database. An AI algorithm was trained by using a data set of C.C. to detect graft detachments and predict the probability of a rebubbling. The architecture of the AI model used in this study was called EfficientNet. This algorithm was applied to OCT scans of patients, which were operated by B.B. The transferability of this algorithm was analyzed to predict a rebubbling after DMEK. RESULTS: The algorithm reached an area under the curve of 0.875 (95% confidence interval: 0.880-0.929). The cutoff value based on the Youden index was 0.214, and the sensitivity and specificity for this value were 78.9% (67.6%-87.7%) and 78.6% (69.5%-86.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The development of AI algorithms allows good transferability to other surgeons reaching a high accuracy in predicting rebubbling after DMEK based on OCT image data.

Risk factors for intraocular pressure elevation following Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty in Asian patients.

PURPOSE: To investigate risk factors for increased intraocular pressure (IOP) after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) in Asian patients. METHODS: Data from January 2015 to February 2021 were obtained from our prospective database. IOP elevation after DMEK was defined as IOP ≥ 22 mmHg or an increase in IOP of ≥ 10 mmHg from baseline. In addition, we examined maximum IOP. Using iCare, we measured IOP 1, 2, 3, and 6 months after DMEK, and every 6 months thereafter. Logistic regression and linear regression were performed to find factors predictive of IOP elevation and maximum IOP, respectively, based on the results of univariate analysis. RESULTS: We enrolled 90 eyes (mean patient age, 74.9 ± 7.5 years; mean follow-up duration, 25.6 ± 9.9 months) that underwent DMEK. IOP elevation was present in 19 eyes (21%). IOP increased from 12.6 ± 3.9 mmHg preoperatively to a postoperative maximum of 17.0 ± 5.5 mmHg up to 36 months after DMEK (p < 0.0001). In univariate logistic regression analysis for IOP elevation, only one variable, pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX) and preexisting glaucoma, was significant (p < 0.05). Preexisting glaucoma without PEX (OR, 19.33; 95% CI, 4.75-93.46), PEX without glaucoma (OR, 7.25; 95% CI, 1.20-41.63), and PEX glaucoma (OR, 58.00; 95% CI, 6.78-1298.29) were associated with higher risk of IOP elevation. CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, the eyes of patients with PEX and preexisting glaucoma were found to be prone to IOP elevation after DMEK.

Evaluation of corneal nerves and dendritic cells by in vivo confocal microscopy after Descemet's membrane keratoplasty for bullous keratopathy.

This study evaluated changes in corneal nerves and the number of dendritic cells (DCs) in corneal basal epithelium following Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) surgery for bullous keratopathy (BK). Twenty-three eyes from 16 consecutive patients that underwent DMEK for BK were included. Eyes of age-matched patients that underwent pre-cataract surgery (12 eyes) were used as controls. In vivo confocal microscopy was performed pre- and postoperatively at 6, 12, and 24 months. Corneal nerve length, corneal nerve trunks, number of branches, and the number of DCs were determined. The total corneal nerve length of 1634.7 ± 1389.1 µm/mm2 before surgery was significantly increased in a time-dependent manner to 4485.8 ± 1403.7 µm/mm2, 6949.5 ± 1477.1 µm/mm2, and 9389.2 ± 2302.2 µm/mm2 at 6, 12, and 24 months after DMEK surgery, respectively. The DC density in BK cornea pre- and postoperatively at 6 months was significantly higher than in the controls, and decreased postoperatively at 12 and 24 months and was significantly lower than that at 6 months postoperatively. Thus, our results suggest that DMEK can repair and normalize the corneal environment.

Corneal Graft Rejection after Descemet's Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty with Peripheral Anterior Synechiae.

Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) for patients with corneal endothelial loss rarely results in graft rejection. Herein, we report a rare case of graft rejection following DMEK, in which peripheral anterior synechiae were observed postoperatively. A 66-year-old woman was referred to our hospital after complaints of decreased visual acuity of her right eye after laser iridotomy for primary angle closure 3 years earlier. Her right cornea had bullous keratopathy with mild cataract, and her best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/40. After cataract surgery, DMEK was successfully performed, except for development of peripheral anterior synechiae at the temporal cornea. Her BCVA recovered to 20/20. However, when topical instillation was changed to 0.1% fluorometholone from 0.1% betamethasone once a day, corneal edema reappeared with hyperemia, mutton fat keratic precipitates (KPs), and cells in the anterior chamber. The BCVA worsened to 20/32. Graft rejection was diagnosed, and subconjunctival injection of dexamethasone was performed 3 times, once every few days, with 0.1% topical betamethasone instillation. Subsequently, the hyperemia, mutton fat KPs, and cells in the anterior chamber disappeared with a recovered BCVA of 20/20 after 2 weeks. Ten months after graft rejection, there was no recurrence of intraocular inflammation, and only topical betamethasone was administered twice daily. It is important to exercise caution in cases with peripheral anterior synechiae after DMEK. Long-term steroid administration is necessary to prevent graft rejection.

Rescue Technique to Solve Postoperative Refractory Double Anterior Chamber in Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe a simple rescue technique to solve postoperative double anterior chamber refractory to rebubbling in deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK). METHODS: This study analyzed consecutive patients who underwent DALK between June 2014 and March 2018 and required a postoperative reattachment of Descemet membrane because of macroperforation-led persistent double chambers. The technique entails placing anchoring sutures to attach Descemet membrane to the donor's posterior stroma. Anchoring sutures were removed within 1 month of surgery. The postoperative best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) [converted to logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) units], endothelial cell density (cells/mm2), graft survival, postoperative complications, and corneal astigmatism (diopters) were evaluated. RESULTS: Five eyes from 5 patients were included in this study [5 women, 63.6 ± 6.0 yrs (32-80 yrs); mean follow-up duration, 72.0 ± 23.3 mo (30-100 mo)] (mean ± SD). The grafts survived successfully in all patients without primary or secondary graft failure. The best spectacle-corrected visual acuity improved from 1.26 ± 0.66 logMAR preoperatively to 0.25 ± 0.15 logMAR postoperatively (n = 5, P = 0.042). The endothelial cell density was 1468 ± 810 cells/mm2 at the last visit. CONCLUSIONS: Macroperforation of Descemet membrane during DALK with incomplete removal of the stroma can lead to persistent double anterior chamber. This complication could be solved by the technique devised by this study.

A deep learning approach for successful big-bubble formation prediction in deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty.

The efficacy of deep learning in predicting successful big-bubble (SBB) formation during deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) was evaluated. Medical records of patients undergoing DALK at the University of Cologne, Germany between March 2013 and July 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups: (1) SBB or (2) failed big-bubble (FBB). Preoperative images of anterior segment optical coherence tomography and corneal biometric values (corneal thickness, corneal curvature, and densitometry) were evaluated. A deep neural network model, Visual Geometry Group-16, was selected to test the validation data, evaluate the model, create a heat map image, and calculate the area under the curve (AUC). This pilot study included 46 patients overall (11 women, 35 men). SBBs were more common in keratoconus eyes (KC eyes) than in corneal opacifications of other etiologies (non KC eyes) (p = 0.006). The AUC was 0.746 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.603-0.889). The determination success rate was 78.3% (18/23 eyes) (95% CI 56.3-92.5%) for SBB and 69.6% (16/23 eyes) (95% CI 47.1-86.8%) for FBB. This automated system demonstrates the potential of SBB prediction in DALK. Although KC eyes had a higher SBB rate, no other specific findings were found in the corneal biometric data.

Aqueous humour cytokine profiles after Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty.

The aim of this study was to compare aqueous humour (AqH) cytokine profiles before and after Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) in eyes with bullous keratopathy (BK) and age-matched normal eyes. A total of 49 participants (mean age 75.0 ± 13.5 years) were divided into three groups: (1) BK patients scheduled for DMEK (BK group); (2) patients after DMEK (DMEK group; average postoperative time 1,018 ± 460 days); and (3) control participants without corneal endothelial disease scheduled for cataract surgery (control group). AqH (0.2 mL) was collected from all participants, and the levels of various AqH cytokines were simultaneously measured using a multiplex bead immunoassay. The DMEK group exhibited significantly lower concentrations of several pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1ß, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-8, and granulocyte colony stimulating factor than the BK group. In addition, the levels of IL-1ß and IL-5 were significantly lower in the DMEK group than in the control group. The AqH levels of several pro-inflammatory cytokines were significantly reduced after DMEK, indicating that regeneration of the endothelial pump owing to the transplantation of a healthy endothelium might have a positive effect on anterior chamber inflammation.

Efficacy of Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery for Cataracts due to Atopic Dermatitis.

We retrospectively evaluated the efficacy and safety of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) for cataracts due to atopic dermatitis, which are often complicated by intumescent white cataract (IWC) and subcapsular fibrosis. Thirty-seven eyes of 30 cataract patients diagnosed with atopic dermatitis were included in the study. Nine eyes had IWC, and 13 eyes had anterior subcapsular fibrosis characteristic of atopic cataracts. Free-floating capsulotomy was achieved in 32 eyes (86%). Three eyes with fibrosis extending across the line of capsulotomy required manual excision. Incomplete capsulotomies due to anterior capsular tags were present in 4 eyes in the IWC group, which was significantly higher compared to non-IWC cases (p < 0.05). Radial anterior capsular tear, vitreous loss, and intraocular lens dislocation did not occur in any of the cases. FLACS can be performed safely in atopic cataract despite the presence of anterior subcapsular fibrosis and/or IWC.

HLA-A26 is a risk factor for Behçet's disease ocular lesions.

BACKGROUND: How HLA-A26 modulates Behçet's disease (BD) ocular lesions such as iridocyclitis and retinochorioiditis has not been scrutinized. METHODS: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan provided us a database of BD patients who were registered from 2003 to 2014. We selected patients who satisfied International Criteria for BD and whose data for HLA-A26 was available. RESULTS: Eligible 557 patients consisting of 238 men (42.7%) and 319 women (57.3%), whose median age was 38 years old (interquartile range 29-47) were analyzed. Prevalence of general ocular lesions, iridocyclitis, retinochorioiditis, and chronic lesions were 43.1%, 30.7%, 34.1%, and 17.4%, respectively. The prevalence of ocular lesions was higher among HLA-A26 carriers compared to that among HLA-A26 non-carriers with odds ratio (OR) of 2.5 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.8-3.5, p < .001) for general ocular lesions, OR of 2.5 (95% CI 1.7-3.6, p < .001) for iridocyclitis, OR of 2.8 (95% CI 1.9-4.0, p < .001) for retinochorioiditis, and OR of 2.7 (95% CI 1.7-4.3, p < .001) for 'chronic ocular lesion following iridocyclitis or retinochorioiditis'. The HLA-A26 had a similar impact on ocular lesions between HLA-B51 positive and negative cases (Breslow-Day test, p > .05). However, the HLA-A26 had a larger impact on iridocyclitis for men compared to women (Breslow-Day test, p = .040). The male HLA-A26 carriers had higher risk of iridocyclitis with OR of 3.4 (95% CI 2.0-5.9, p < .001), while the OR for women was 1.5 (95% CI 0.9-2.6, p = .146). CONCLUSION: HLA-A26 carriers had higher risk for iridocyclitis and retinochorioiditis. However, the impact was more prominent for men.

Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty in Vascularized Eyes: Outcome and Effect on Corneal Neovascularization.

PURPOSE: To report the outcomes after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) in vascularized eyes. METHODS: Consecutive cases of DMEK in vascularized eyes (involving ≥2 vascularized quadrants) were selected from a prospective database. Best corrected visual acuity, endothelial cell density (ECD), central corneal thickness, corneal transplant rejection episode, graft survival, and area of neovascularization (quantified using image analysis software) were evaluated. RESULTS: In this study, 24 eyes of 24 patients were selected [mean age, 65.0 years; mean follow-up duration, 14.8 months (6-36 months)], which consists of 14 vascularized eyes after failed penetrating keratoplasty and 10 vascularized eyes with bullous keratopathy. Best corrected visual acuity improved from 1.60 ± 1.02 LogMAR preoperatively to 0.47 ± 0.37 LogMAR 12 months postoperatively (P < 0.001). Central corneal thickness decreased from 824 ± 193 µm preoperatively to 544 ± 48 µm 12 months postoperatively (P = 0.001). The donor ECD decreased from 2272 ± 723 cells/mm2 preoperatively to 1570 ± 279 cells/mm2 12 months postoperatively. The total loss of ECD at the last visit was 40.7% ± 13.0%. Eight of 24 eyes (33.3%) required rebubbling, which resulted in final attachment. The corneal neovascularization area significantly regressed from 4.68% ± 3.26% preoperatively to 2.28% ± 1.58% (n = 18, P = 0.021). Corneal transplant rejection episodes occurred in 1 eye of 24 patients (4.2%). There was no primary graft failure. CONCLUSIONS: DMEK is a feasible option to treat endothelial dysfunction in vascularized eyes.

Anatomical Changes in the Anterior Chamber Volume After Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty.

PURPOSE: To evaluate changes in the anterior chamber of eyes that have undergone Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) and to identify factors that affect these changes. METHODS: This retrospective study included 25 pseudophakic eyes of 25 patients who underwent DMEK. We determined the preoperative and postoperative values of the best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, spherical equivalent (SE), anterior chamber volume (ACV), anterior chamber depth (ACD), central corneal thickness (CCT), and scleral spur angle (SSA) evaluated using anterior segment optical coherence tomography and iris damage score and iris posterior synechiae score. We defined ∆ as the average change rate from the preoperative to postoperative value for each factor at 1 month (SE at 6-12 months) postoperatively. We also analyzed correlations between ∆ACV, ∆SE, and other preexisting factors. RESULTS: Compared with the preoperative ACV value (128 ± 28 mm3), the postoperative value significantly increased to 155 ± 21 mm3 (P < 0.001); ∆SE was +1.01 ± 1.09 diopters. ∆ACV was negatively correlated with preoperative ACD (R = 0.643, P < 0.001) and SSA (R = 0.555, P = 0.001) and positively correlated with ∆ACD (R = 0.799, P < 0.001) and ∆SSA (R = 0.608, P < 0.001). ∆CCT, iris damage score, and iris posterior synechiae score were not significantly correlated with ∆ACV. ∆SE was positively correlated with ∆ACV, ∆ACD, and ∆SSA (R = 0.680, 0.455, and 0.478; P < 0.001, <0.05, and <0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: An increase in the ACV and hyperopic change was noted after successful DMEK, especially in eyes with narrow-angled shallow anterior chambers.