Descemet's Membrane

Endothelial keratoplasty has revolutionized corneal transplantation. The menu that is available for the corneal surgeon now includes Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty, Descemet’s stripping endothelial keratoplasty and pre-Descemet’s endothelial keratoplasty.

PARIS — New discoveries in the field of lamellar keratoplasty illuminate why endothelial grafts scroll with the Descemet’s membrane inside and endothelial cells outside.

PARIS — Two years of follow-up with quarter-Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty show visual outcomes comparable to those of conventional DMEK surgery and no graft rejection or secondary failure, but the decrease in endothelial cell density calls for further enhancement of the technique, according to a speaker at a NIIOS presentation during EuCornea 2019.

PARIS — Combined assessment of specular microscopy and Scheimpflug imaging could aid in detecting eyes at risk for graft rejection following Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty, according to a study presented here.

Corneal transplantation has continued to improve over time and has reached significant heights in recent times with selective tissue transplantation, namely Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty. In patients with a cloudy cornea secondary to endothelial decompensation, DMEK offers selective replacement of the recipient Descemet’s membrane and its decompensated endothelium with a donor Descemet’s membrane and healthy endothelial cells. Such an advanced endothelial allotransplantation technique provides a near normal anatomic restoration of the recipient cornea along with markedly improved vision over a relatively short period of postoperative time. Early recovery of vision with DMEK results in satisfied patients who can return to their normal activities faster compared with other corneal transplantation techniques. DMEK and other forms of selective tissue corneal transplantation have continued to raise the bar for restoration of vision in cases of corneal blindness.