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Femtosecond DALK with bubble technique successful in pediatric patients
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 Luca Buzzonetti |
ISTANBUL, Turkey — A femtosecond laser-assisted variation of the classic big-bubble technique in deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty had a high degree of reproducibility and easier management in pediatric patients, according to a surgeon here.
The IntraBubble technique entails the preparation by femtosecond laser of a pre-Descemet dissection plane, 100 µm from the endothelium, and the creation of a small channel in the posterior stroma, 50 µm from the endothelium, into which a smooth cannula for air injection can be introduced. The lamella is then created, again using the femtosecond laser, reaching in depth the 100 µm dissection plane. Before inserting the air cannula, the channel is lengthened using a pointed dissector.
"Air is inflated to create the big bubble, and from there the procedure continues as in classic DALK," Luca Buzzonetti, MD, said at the winter meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons.
DALK with IntraBubble was performed in nine eyes of pediatric patients with keratoconus or corneal opacities at the Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital in Rome. A big bubble was successfully obtained in all eyes. Mean best corrected visual acuity was 20/30 at 6 months.
"This new application of the femtosecond laser could lead to a safe and effective standardization of the big-bubble technique in DALK, even in pediatric patients," Dr. Buzzonetti said.
- Disclosure: No products or companies are mentioned that would require financial disclosure.