Preloaded Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Donor Tissue: Surgical Technique and Early Clinical Results.

PURPOSE: To describe the technique, advantages, and early complication rates of using Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) donor tissue that is prestained and preloaded into an injector at the eye bank and delivered in a storage medium to the surgeon for transplantation 1 to 2 days later. METHODS: A total of 111 eyes with endothelial failure underwent DMEK using donors that were prestripped, prestained, S-stamped, and preloaded into a Straiko modified Jones tube and delivered in an Optisol-filled viewing chamber 1 to 2 days later. Scroll tightness, time to unscroll and center the tissue, postoperative rebubble rate, and graft failure rate were recorded. Endothelial cell density was measured at 3 and 6 months. RESULTS: All tissues remained well stained with easy visualization at the time of surgery (n = 111). The mean scroll tightness was 2.2 (range: 1-4). The mean time to center and unscroll the tissue was 3.5 minutes (range: 0.5-11.25 min). There was no primary graft failure. There were 16 cases with the placement of another bubble postoperatively (with a 14.4% rebubble rate). Of those 16 cases, 2 required a second rebubble. Endothelial cell loss at 3 and 6 months postoperatively was 26.7% (n = 63 eyes) and 30.9% (n = 67 eyes), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of the clinical use of prestained, preloaded tissue for DMEK. The characteristics and handling of the tissue were not different from those of surgeon-loaded tissue. Because punching, staining, and loading the graft intraoperatively is not necessary, the surgery time and risk of damaging donor tissue are reduced when using preloaded tissue.

Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty in Eyes With Previous Laser Refractive Surgery: Outcomes and Complications.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the refractive predictability and efficacy of Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) for patients with previous laser refractive surgery. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our cohort of endothelial keratoplasty surgical cases. We identified 21 eyes that underwent laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (n = 17) or photorefractive keratectomy (n = 4) and were treated with DMEK for endothelial failure. Patients were analyzed preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively for changes in visual acuity, refraction, and corneal topography. RESULTS: Six months after surgery, eyes significantly improved to a mean best-corrected visual acuity of 20/23 (P < 0.001). Mean astigmatism amplitude changed from 1.13 ± 0.96 preoperatively to 0.92 ± 0.51 diopters postoperatively (P = 0.28). However, shifts in the axis of corneal astigmatism ranged from 1 to 70 degrees, with 6 eyes (30%) showing an axis shift of more than 30 degrees. Spherical equivalents in nontriple procedures remained unchanged (n = 16; P = 0.69) at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: DMEK and DMEK triple procedures are predictable in patients with previous refractive surgery achieving good visual results. However, refraction after the use of toric intraocular lenses may be unpredictable because of the variability in changes of the magnitude and axis of corneal astigmatism; we recommend extreme caution in the use of the toric intraocular lens in this group of patients and proper counseling for possible individual postoperative residual astigmatism.

Prestained and Preloaded DMEK Grafts: An Evaluation of Tissue Quality and Stain Retention.

PURPOSE: To examine endothelial cell damage and stain retention of prestained preloaded Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) grafts. METHODS: DMEK grafts were stained with trypan blue or left unstained before loading into a Straiko modified Jones tube. A protocol to stain preloaded grafts inside the modified Jones tube and resulting cell loss was also examined. Endothelial cell loss was determined by vital dye staining after 3 days of cold storage and compared between the 3 groups. Eight additional grafts were stained, loaded, and shipped from Oregon to New York to assess stain stability. Stain retention and the ability to successfully inject and open these "prestained preloaded" grafts in cadaveric donor eyes were also evaluated. RESULTS: Unstained preloaded DMEK grafts showed an overall cell loss of 15% ± 3% [95% confidence interval (CI), 11%-18%]. Prestained grafts had a cell loss of 16% ± 4% (95% CI, 10%-22%) and were not significantly different from unstained grafts (P = 1). Grafts stained while inside the modified Jones tubes had an average cell loss of 18% ± 2% (95% CI, 16%-20%, Pprestained = 0.15, Punstained = 0.09). All grafts shipped across the country and examined 3 days after preparation showed a decrease in stain intensity but were still deemed suitable for transplantation by an experienced DMEK surgeon. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to prestain and preload DMEK grafts without inducing additional endothelial cell loss. Consideration should be given to the interval between staining and surgery because stain can fade.