Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of a secondary Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) as a back-up procedure for managing graft failure after primary Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK).
Design: Non-randomised prospective clinical study.
Methods: A first group of 50 cases with Fuchs endothelial dystrophy underwent DMEK. Two to five weeks after the DMEK, 10 cases showed no corneal clearance, so a secondary DSEK was performed. To evaluate the eyes of these 10 cases, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and endothelial cell density at 6 and 12 months were used as outcome parameters.
Results: At 6 months after secondary DSEK, 87% of the cases had a BCVA of > or = 20/40 (> or = 0.5) and one eye reached 20/25 (> or = 0.8). Donor DSEK grafts endothelial cell densities averaged 2617+/-152 cells/mm2 before surgery, 1510+/-799 cells/mm2 at 6 months and 1602+/-892 cells/mm2 at 12 months after surgery.
Conclusion: In the event of a DMEK graft failure, a secondary DSEK may be an effective back-up procedure, as it may give a clinical outcome similar to that after a primary DSEK. Particularly during the surgeon's learning curve, patient information may be provided not only on visual outcomes after DMEK, but also after DSEK.
Trial registration number: NCT00521898.