Microbubble technique in failed deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty: 2-year outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Lippera ◽  
Giuseppe Pallotta ◽  
Piero Ferroni ◽  
Myrta Lippera ◽  
Leopoldo Spadea ◽  
...  

Purpose: To compare the long-term results of big-bubble technique and microbubble techniques to complete stroma dissection after failure of achieving a big-bubble. Methods: A total of 35 eyes with keratoconus underwent lamellar keratoplasty with the big-bubble technique (15 eyes) or the microbubble technique (15 eyes). Conversion to penetrating keratoplasty was performed in 3 eyes of the big-bubble group and in 2 eyes of the microbubble group. Best-corrected visual acuity, corneal thickness, corneal astigmatism, and endothelial cell count were assessed preoperatively and at 12 and 24 months after surgery. Results: Mean preoperative visual acuity was 0.29 ± 0.18 in the big-bubble group and 0.25 ± 0.15 in the microbubble group. Postoperatively, all patients showed a regular interface between donor and recipient tissue. At 24 months, mean best-corrected visual acuity was 0.84 ± 0.16 in the big-bubble group and 0.68 ± 0.17 in the microbubble group (p = 0.013), and mean central corneal thickness was 530 ± 39 µm in the big-bubble group and 545 ± 30 µm in the microbubble group. Astigmatism was 2.41 ± 1.29 D and 3.59 ± 1.48 D (p = 0.036), respectively, while endothelial cell density was 1,671 ± 371 in the big-bubble group and 1,567 ± 275 in the microbubble group. Conclusions: The microbubble technique appears to be a valid alternative as it was safe and provided good functional results.

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-303
Author(s):  
Edgar Javier Infantes Molina ◽  
Javier Celis Sánchez ◽  
José Maria Tenias Burilllo ◽  
David Diaz Valle ◽  
José Manuel Benítez-Del-Castillo ◽  
...  

Purpose: To compare visual, topographic and topometric outcomes in patients subjected to deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty or penetrating keratoplasty showing a high or low risk of graft rejection. Setting: Complejo Hospitalario La Mancha Centro, Ciudad Real, Spain. Materials and methods: Data were reviewed for consecutive patients with a corneal stroma disease undergoing deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty or penetrating keratoplasty over the period 2009–2015 at our centre by the same surgeon. The outcome measures examined were 2-year follow-up best-corrected visual acuity, refractive error, topographic astigmatism, intraocular pressure, endothelial cell density and central corneal thickness. Results: Of 115 eyes enrolled, 46 underwent deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (15 low risk, 31 high risk) and 69 penetrating keratoplasty (23 low risk, 46 high risk). Mean postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (logMAR) in the low- and high-risk groups, respectively, were 0.31 and 0.26 for deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (p = 0.32) and 0.40 and 0.51 for penetrating keratoplasty (p = 0.28). The values for the high-risk deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty versus high-risk penetrating keratoplasty patients were 0.26 and 0.51, respectively (p = 0.004). Mean postoperative spherical equivalents were −2.60 D for low-risk deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty versus −2.29 D for high-risk deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (p = 0.19), and −0.41 D for low-risk penetrating keratoplasty versus −0.13 D for high-risk penetrating keratoplasty (p = 0.51). Conclusion: Final best-corrected visual acuity and visual acuity gains were better for deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty, mainly in corneas with a high rejection risk. Despite a better corneal thickness recorded in the deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty group, the other variables examined were comparable. Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty emerged as an effective alternative to penetrating keratoplasty for patients with a disease affecting the corneal stroma.


2021 ◽  
pp. 112067212110590
Author(s):  
Cristina Monterosso ◽  
Marco Antonini ◽  
Antonio Di Zazzo ◽  
Daniele Gaudenzi ◽  
Luigi Caretti ◽  
...  

Purpose To evaluate postoperative safety of femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty performed with an innovative anvil profile in keratoconus patients. Methods This is a single-center, retrospective cohort study. We reviewed medical records of 89 keratoconus patients that underwent femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty surgery (46 eyes) and manual deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (47 eyes). Inclusion criteria required: age > 18 years old, best-corrected visual acuity < 0.3 LogMAR, continuous suture of the graft, postoperative immunomodulant regimen with dexamethasone 0.1% for 6 months and at least 12 months follow-up. Previous eye surgery, hydrops, and other ocular disease were excluded. The main outcome measures were postoperative events: rejections, persistent epithelial defects, and graft failures. Results During the follow-up (20 ± 6 months) graft rejection was diagnosed in 0 of femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty versus 6 (17%) of manual deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty [ p 0.027], persistent epithelial defect in 0 of femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty versus in 4 (11%) of manual deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty [ p 0.048] and graft failure occurred in 4 (11%) of manual deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty. The best-corrected visual acuity, after removal of sutures, was better in the femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty group 0.09 ± 0.08 LogMAR versus 0.16 ± 0.13 LogMAR in manual deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty [ p 0.035] group although refractive spherical equivalent and cylinder, topographic average keratometry and cylinder were similar. Conclusions Anvil-shaped femtosecond laser deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty in keratoconus surgery increases safety and readiness of recovery, decreasing the incidence of corneal rejection, epithelial defects, graft failures, and producing better best-corrected visual acuity after removal of sutures.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent M. Borderie ◽  
Sara Touhami ◽  
Cristina Georgeon ◽  
Otman Sandali

Objective. Big bubble (BB)-deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) has become the reference transplantation technique for corneal stromal disorders. Type 1 BB is the desired aspect but it is not constant. We aimed to determine the predictive factors of type 1 BB success. Methods. Observational cohort study including 77 consecutive eyes of 77 patients undergoing DALK by one surgeon at a single reference center without any selection. Clinical and spectral domain optical coherence tomography data were collected pre- and postoperatively. Results. Stromal scars were found in 91.8% of cases and were located in the anterior (90.9%), mid (67.5%), and posterior (36.4%) stroma. Type 1 BB (49.3% of cases) was significantly associated with the absence of scars in the posterior stroma, stage 1–3 keratoconus, and deep trephination. Among eyes with posterior scars, type 1 BB was associated with higher minimal corneal thickness, maximum-minimum corneal thickness < 220 μm, and diagnosis other than keratoconus. Eyes with type 1 BB featured significantly thinner residual stromal bed (22 ± 8 µm versus 61 ± 28 µm), thinner corneas at 12, 24, and 36 months, and better visual acuity at 12 months compared with eyes with no type 1 BB. Conversely, no significant differences between both groups were observed for graft survival, visual acuity at 24 and 36 months, and endothelial cell density at 12 and 36 months. Conclusion. OCT assessment before DALK is useful for choosing trephination depth that should be as deep as possible and for looking for posterior scars. The BB technique may not be the most appropriate method in keratoconus with posterior scars. Follow-up data do not support the need for conversion to penetrating keratoplasty when type 1 BB cannot be obtained nor does it support the need for performing a penetrating keratoplasty as a first-choice procedure in eyes with posterior stromal scars.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2421
Author(s):  
Dominika Janiszewska-Bil ◽  
Barbara Czarnota-Nowakowska ◽  
Katarzyna Krysik ◽  
Anita Lyssek-Boroń ◽  
Dariusz Dobrowolski ◽  
...  

We compared the visual and refractive outcomes, intraocular pressure (IOP), endothelial cell loss (ECL), and adverse events in keratoconus patients after deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) and penetrating keratoplasty (PK) with the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) below 0.3 (logMAR 0.52). This is a prospective, comparative cohort study of 90 eyes (90 patients) with a clinical diagnosis of keratoconus. Patients underwent a complete eye examination before the surgical approach, 6 and 12 months postoperatively that consisted of BCVA, refractive astigmatism (AS), central corneal thickness (CCT), IOP, and ECL. Secondary outcomes were adverse events related to the surgical procedure. With lower ECL and less adverse events, DALK was revealed to be beneficial over PK with similar visual outcomes. Results: There was no significant difference between the BCVA in the DALK and PK groups (at 6 months: 0.49 ± 0.17 vs. 0.48 ± 0.17; p = 0.48; at 12 months: 0.54 ± 0.17 vs. 0.52 ± 0.14; p = 0.41). The mean value of AS was significantly lower after the PK procedure when compared to DALK, after both 6 and 12 months of follow up (p < 0.001). The CCT in the DALK group was significantly lower when compared to the PK group (at 6 months: 452.1 ± 89.1 µm vs. 528.9 ± 69.9 µm, p < 0.0001; at 12 months: 451.6 ± 83.5 µm vs. 525.5 ± 37.1 µm). The endothelial cell loss at 12 months after surgery was significantly lower after DALK when compared to PK (p < 0.0001). DALK transplantation should be considered as an alternative procedure in the surgical treatment of keratoconus.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Amro Abuelkheir ◽  
Mohamed Bahgat Goweida ◽  
Nada Medhat ◽  
Hany Ahmed Helaly

Introduction. Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) is now becoming an increasingly popular surgical technique in treating corneal stromal pathologies with healthy endothelium. Several advantages of DALK over penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) have been described such as maintenance of globe integrity, absence of endothelial rejection, and a low rate of chronic endothelial cell loss (ECL). ECL following PKP results in 50% cell loss after 2 years from the estimated graft endothelial cell density (ECD). Although there are several reports confirming that ECL following DALK is similar to the physiologic cell loss 2 years after surgery, few reports discussed the surgically induced ECL due to difficulty in preoperative imaging of ECD. Materials and Methods. This prospective, interventional study included 20 eyes of 20 patients, who underwent DALK surgery. 11 eyes underwent DALK using the big bubble technique, while 9 eyes underwent the microbubble technique. Postoperative evaluation was done 3 months after surgery and included best spectacle corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), keratometric readings, and refraction measured using an autokeratorefractometer (Topcon KR800, Japan) and endothelial cell density (ECD) using noncontact specular microscopy (Nidek CEM-530, Japan). Results. Regarding postoperative parameters such as postoperative logMAR visual acuity, postoperative mean K, and postoperative K max, there was no statistical difference found between both groups ( P = 0.754 , P = 0.119 , and P = 0.970 , respectively). Regarding change in specular endothelial cell density and percent change in the specular endothelial cell density, again there was no statistical difference between both groups with P = 0.057 and P = 0.126 , respectively (significance defined as P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. ECD is not affected by failure of the big bubble to form and continuing DALK via the microbubble technique.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. oapoc.0000008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Scorcia ◽  
Andrea Lucisano ◽  
Vincenzo Savoca Corona ◽  
Valentina De Luca ◽  
Adriano Carnevali ◽  
...  

Purpose To evaluate the outcomes of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) followed by phacoemulsification and toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation for the treatment of concomitant stromal disease and cataract. Methods In this retrospective non-comparative interventional case series, ten eyes affected by stromal disease and cataract underwent DALK followed by phacoemulsification with toric IOL implantation after a minimum period of 5 months from complete suture removal. In each case, topographic astigmatism, refraction, visual acuity, and endothelial cell density were recorded before DALK and 1, 6, and 12 months after cataract surgery. In addition, IOL rotation was evaluated using anterior segment optical coherence tomography. Results Big-bubble DALK was performed in all eyes but one that received manual dissection. Topographic astigmatism averaged 5.6 ± 2.2 diopters (D) after suture removal; refractive astigmatism decreased to 0.55 ± 0.61 D as early as one month after cataract surgery and did not change substantially throughout the follow-up period. In all patients, one month after phacoemulsification uncorrected and best spectacle-corrected visual acuity were, respectively, ≥20/40 and ≥20/25 with a residual spherical equivalent of 0.00 ± 0.84 D. At the latest follow-up visit, in all cases the IOL rotation was ≤5 degrees from the intended position and the endothelial cell loss within 8.5%. No complications were recorded. Conclusions DALK followed by phacoemulsification with toric IOL implantation optimizes visual and refractive outcomes in patients with concomitant stromal disease and cataract. In comparison with a combined procedure, the sequential approach offers better predictability of the postoperative refraction in the absence of an increased risk of complications.


2019 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 336-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Scorcia ◽  
Valentina De Luca ◽  
Andrea Lucisano ◽  
Donatella Bruzzichessi ◽  
Marco Balestrieri ◽  
...  

AimsTo evaluate deep corneal densitometry and visual outcomes after big-bubble (BB-DALK) and visco-bubble (VB-DALK) deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty performed in patients with keratoconus.MethodsProspective comparative study of 50 advanced keratoconic patients who underwent DALK surgery; 25 eyes (group I) were completed with BB-DALK and 25 eyes (group II) with VB-DALK after the failure of pneumatic dissection. Best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), corneal tomographic parameters and endothelial cell count were recorded 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after surgery. Densitometric analysis of the deep corneal interface was obtained using Scheimpflug tomography at each visit; values recorded were compared between the two groups and statistically analysed.ResultsBSCVA was significantly better in the BB-DALK group than the VB-DALK group (0.39±0.29 vs 0.65±0.23 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, respectively) for the first 3 months; and in the same time period, densitometry was significantly higher in the VB-DALK group than those recorded in the BB-DALK group (23.97±5.34 vs 17.13±4.44 grayscale units). However, densitometric values and visual acuity did not differ significantly in the two groups at 1 year. No statistically significant difference for the other variables analysed at any time frame was found.ConclusionThe use of viscoelastic substance in the VB-DALK technique may induce modification of interface stromal reflectivity resulting in reduced visual acuity up to 3 months postoperatively. However, this initial negative effect on the interface quality does not affect the long-term visual outcome, with densitometric values and visual outcomes similar in the two groups from 6 months postoperatively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 358-362
Author(s):  
Gurvinder Khosa ◽  
Karanijit Singh ◽  
Prempal Kaur ◽  
Rajesh Kumar ◽  
Upasna Ajmani

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of Phacoemulsification and Manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) on the corneal endothelium and to assess its impact on visual acuity and induced astigmatism. In this prospective randomized study, 100 cases were randomly selected with the help of lottery system. 50 cases underwent phacoemulsification (group 1) and 50 underwent MSICS (group 2) by a single surgeon. The endothelial cell count, central corneal thickness, best corrected visual acuity and induced astigmatism was measured preoperatively and postoperatively on day 1, 7, 28 and on day 42. Mean endothelial cell loss (cells/mm2) in group 1 at the end of six weeks was 538.64 (20.59%) and in group 2 was 485.66 (19.20%) which was statistically insignificant (p &#62;0.05). The mean central corneal thickness was reduced in both the groups with a mean of 0.51±0.04 mm in group 1 and 0.50±0.03 mm in group 2 which was statistically insignificant. Postoperative best corrected visual acuity of more than 6/18 was found in 49 (98%) cases in each group at six weeks, and was statistically insignificant (p value &#62; 0.05). Phacoemulsification group had statistically significant less mean postoperative astigmatism than MSICS group (p value &#60; 0.05). Both groups gave similar statistically insignificant results in relation to endothelial cell loss, central corneal thickness and best corrected visual acuity at the end of six weeks, although the mean astigmatism was more in group 2 in comparison to group 1 with a statistically significant difference.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiko Hayashi ◽  
Hiroki Masumoto ◽  
Hitoshi Tabuchi ◽  
Naofumi Ishitobi ◽  
Mao Tanabe ◽  
...  

Abstract 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 55 patients overall (12 women, 43 men). SBBs were more common in keratoconus eyes (KC eyes) than in corneal opacifications of other etiologies (non KC eyes) (p = 0.001). 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.


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