Purpose: To evaluate endothelial cell survival 2 years after Descemet-stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) for the treatment of endothelial dysfunction in the presence of an anterior chamber intraocular lens (AC IOL).
Setting: LSU Eye Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Florida Eye Microsurgical Institute, Boynton Beach, Florida, USA.
Design: Case series.
Methods: This study comprised eyes with endothelial failure that had DSAEK in the presence of an AC IOL. Donor central endothelial cell density (ECD) was recorded 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years postoperatively and compared with preoperative ECD eye-bank values.
Results: The study evaluated 25 eyes; data from 20 eyes were available up to 2 years postoperatively. The mean preoperative ECD was 2606 cells/mm(2). At 1 year, the mean ECD was 1943 cells/mm(2) ± 266 (SD), representing a mean cell loss from preoperative measurements of 24% ± 12%. At 2 years, the mean ECD was 1831 ± 291 cells/mm(2), representing a 28% ± 13% cell loss from preoperative values. The additional cell loss between the first and second postoperative years was not statistically significant (P=.265).
Conclusions: Descemet-stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty grafts in the presence of a well-centered AC IOL with an AC IOL-to-endothelial depth greater than 3.0 mm had a mean postoperative donor endothelial cell loss of 24% at 1 year and 28% at 2 years. There was no significant difference in cell loss in this series compared with ECD loss in DSAEK surgeries in the presence of a posterior chamber IOL.
Financial disclosure: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Copyright © 2011 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.