Infant cornea may be potential source for donor tissue in PDEK

Issue: January 2016

Infant donor corneas may be a feasible alternative tissue to use in pre-Descemet’s endothelial keratoplasty in order to restore optical clarity and achieve good visual outcomes, according to a study.

Three eyes with pseudophakic bullous keratopathy underwent PDEK with infant donor tissue to evaluate visual outcomes, graft survival and endothelial cell loss.

Postoperative visual acuity improved in each case.

Maximum endothelial cell density (ECD) loss occurred 1 month postoperatively. However, ECD loss stabilized in each case by month 6 postoperatively, with a mean percentage of 27 ± 2% loss.

All three eyes experienced significant improvement in corneal clarity.

At 1 day, mean graft thickness was 35 ± 3 µm, and at month 6, mean central corneal thickness was 515 ± 7 µm.

There was no reports of tissue loss during graft preparation, graft dislocation or graft failure.

“[This study] is of significance as it highlights the feasibility of the use of infant donor corneas for the PDEK procedure because ECD is an indicator of the health of the cornea, and the use of infant donor tissue allows the donor lenticule with a substantial amount of ECD to be implanted into the eye,” the study authors said. – by Kristie L. Kahl

Disclosure: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.

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Source:

Agarwal A, et al. Cornea. 2015;doi:10.1097/ICO.0000000000000486.