Graft exchange, PK improved patients' visual acuity after endothelial keratoplasty, small study shows

Select patients with inadequate visual acuity caused by interface optical problems after endothelial keratoplasty may benefit from either graft exchange or penetrating keratoplasty, according to a small, observational study.

Neda Shamie, MD, and colleagues at Devers Eye Institute in Portland prospectively reviewed three consecutive patients who underwent endothelial graft replacement to correct unsatisfactory visual acuity after initial deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty. In all cases, the surgeons performed graft exchange using a microkeratome-prepared donor tissue in place of a manually prepared donor tissue.

Postoperatively, best corrected visual acuity had improved in two patients, the study authors said.

Because of recipient bed irregularities, the remaining patient showed no postoperative improvement after graft exchange. However, visual acuity improved in this patient after the surgeons performed PK, according to the study.

The study is published in the April issue of Cornea.