Fully peeled corneal tissue may be transported for DMEK

Issue: June 10, 2015

DENVER — Eye banks may successfully prepare and transport fully peeled corneal tissue for Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty, according to a presentation here.

In a poster presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology annual meeting, Hussain Elhalis, MD, and colleagues evaluated fully peeling vs. partially peeling the corneal tissue in 27 donor corneas to determine endothelial cell density (ECD).

“We were hoping to find a way where we can send the tissue potentially free-floating or in an injector,” Elhalis told Ocular Surgery News. “That would save the surgeon that step and potential loss of tissue intraoperatively.”

Corneas were separated into three groups. The control group tissue was partially peeled and placed in Optisol-GS in a viewing chamber; group 2 tissue was partially peeled, placed in Optisol-GS in a viewing chamber, and then packed for shipping and transported; and group 3 tissue was completely peeled after trephination, placed free-floating in a bottle of Optisol-GS, and then packed for shipping and transported.

In the control group, mean ECD was 2,525 + 338 cells/mm2 pre-peel and 2,540 +/- 205 cells/mm2 post-peel. Mean ECD in group 2 was 2,546 +/- 438 cells/mm2 pre-peel and 2,914 + 461 cells/mm2 24 hours after partial peel. In group 3, mean ECD was 2,593 + 433 cells/mm2 pre-peel and 2,803 +/- 786 cells/mm2 24 hours after free-floating with transport.

“Basically from our analysis, we found that there wasn’t really any increase in ECD in free-floating tissue that was transported vs. tissue that was just partially peeled, which is the standard,” Elhalis said. “So, we’re hoping to take it further and place the tissue in injectors now and see if we lose any tissue by packing it, transporting it and loading it into an injector.” - by Kristie L. Kahl

Disclosure: Elhalis reports no relevant financial disclosures.