Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty in eyes with previous trabeculectomy and tube shunt procedures: intraoperative and early postoperative complications.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the intraoperative and early postoperative outcomes of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) in patients with previous glaucoma filtering surgeries. METHODS: A retrospective review of all DSAEK surgeries performed at one center comparing complications of DSAEK in eyes with previous glaucoma filtering procedures (study eyes) with a time-matched group of all other DSAEK cases (control eyes). RESULTS: There were 28 study eyes, 19 with previous trabeculectomies and 9 with previous glaucoma drainage devices (GDDs) and 431 control eyes. Study group intraoperative complications included 1 compromised bleb and 1 loss of donor tissue because of traumatic manipulation. One intraoperative complication, a perforation of the donor tissue, occurred in the control group. Venting stab incisions were used more often in study eyes (n = 5; 18%) than in control eyes (n = 12; 4.4%) (P = 0.002). GDD tubes were trimmed in 2 eyes (22%). No intraoperative manipulations were used to occlude the glaucoma filters or tubes. Postoperative complications in the study group included 1 dislocation (3.6%) and 1 decentered graft (3.6%) and 1 eye with loss of pressure control (3.6%), whereas in the control group, there were 10 dislocations (2.3%) and 1 decentered graft (0.2%) (P = 0.267 for dislocations and P = 0.118 for decentered grafts). One episode of pupillary block (0.2%) occurred in the control group, and none occurred in the study group. No primary graft failures occurred in either group. CONCLUSIONS: DSAEK surgeries in eyes with previous glaucoma filtering procedures were performed without primary graft failure and with reasonably low dislocation (3.6%) and graft decentration (3.6%) rates. Although the intraoperative complication rate for the study group (7.1%) was higher than the rate for the control group (0.23%), excellent early postoperative outcomes can be achieved when DSAEK is performed in eyes with previous trabeculectomies and GDDs.

Analysis of posterior donor corneal parameters 1 year after Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) triple procedure.

BACKGROUND: Although Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) was demonstrated to be effective for the treatment of endothelial corneal diseases, a variable hyperopic shift has been measured as a common occurrence postoperatively. The aim of this work was to investigate the variance in the corneal and refractive responses to DSAEK combined with phacoemulsification and implantation of intra-ocular lens (IOL), namely the DSAEK triple procedure. METHODS: The refractive, topographic, and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) data of 23 eyes treated with DSAEK triple procedure were analyzed. A mean refractive IOL target of -1.04 +/- 0.09 D was calculated based on empirical data of our early experience to achieve emmetropia in all the eyes included in the study. Donor corneal parameters, i.e., graft diameter, thickness, and profile, were investigated in order to verify their possible role in the variable refractive shift after DSAEK. RESULTS: Although the 1-year mean refractive outcome was close to emmetropia (-0.01 +/- 0.89 D), the average difference between the targeted postoperative refraction and the 1-year postoperative spherical equivalent refraction was +0.98 +/- 0.87 D. Correlations of refractive change with central graft thickness (r = 0.36, p = 0.05) and graft diameter (r = 0.45; p = 0.03) were statistically significant. AS-OCT analysis revealed how the graft shape, with graft thicker in the periphery compared with the center, contributed to reduce the radius of curvature of the posterior cornea, thus favoring the hyperopic shift postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: DSAEK triple procedure provides negligible changes in the surface topography, however with a variable amount of hyperopic shift postoperatively. Central graft thickness and graft profile together contributed to approximately two-thirds of the variance in refractive shift postoperatively. Lenticule diameter provided a minor influence on postoperative hyperopic shift than other graft parameters.