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Technique facilitates harvesting Descemet’s for posterior corneal transplant
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SANTIAGO, Chile — A new technique for obtaining viable Descemet’s membrane with the endothelial cells still intact is reliable and simple to perform, according to an ophthalmologist speaking here.
Ashley Behrens, MD, described the technique for harvesting Descemet’s membrane from donor eyes in a presentation here at the Pan-American Congress of Ophthalmology. Dr. Behrens and colleagues performed the technique in seven corneoscleral buttons from donor eyes.
The buttons were positioned in an artificial anterior segment with the endothelial cells facing upwards in a convex manner. A 9-mm trephine was used to cut into Schwalbe’s line, and then a cyclodialysis spatula was used to separate Descemet’s membrane and the endothelial cells from the posterior stroma, Dr. Behrens said.
All seven membranes were successfully separated from the buttons without damage. Images of the endothelial cells revealed an 8.46% loss of cells with preservation of the cell morphology.
“The technique we have described is reliable and easy for obtaining Descemet’s membrane and endothelial cells for use in posterior transplants,” Dr. Behrens said. “One will need to determine the optimal method for insertion of the Descemet’s membrane and the endothelial cells through smaller corneal incisions.”