2. DEFINITION
The replacement of diseased cornea with autologus or heterologus cornea
is called as keratoplasty. In most of the cases the donor cornea is taken
from a deceased person.
Either full thickness of the cornea or a part of it may be transplanted.
3. Introduction
For over hundred years Penetrating keratoplasty has been the standard care for corneal
diseases
PK involves replacing a full thickness of diseased recipient’s cornea with that of a healthy
donor cornea secured into place with 32,16 or 12 sutures
Claesson et al studied 520 grafts, at 2 years after PK showed a visual acuity of upto
20/40 (6/12)
4. Layers Thick
ness(
um)
Composition
Epithelium 50 Stratified Squamous Epithelium
Bowman’s
Membrane
8-14 Compact layer of unorganised
collagen fibres Stroma
Stroma 500 Orderly arrangement of collagen
lamellae with keratocytes
Descemet’s
Membrane
10-12 Consists of basement membrane
materials
Endothelium 5 single layer of simple squamous
epithelium
5. Types of keratoplasty
Based on the thickness of the cornea transplanted, keratoplasty can be
divided as:
Penetrating keratoplasty- involved full thickness of the cornea.
Lamellar keratoplasty- involves transplantation of a part.
Anterior lamellar : SALK, MALK, DALK, TALK
Posterior lamellar : DLEK, DMEK, DSAEK,DSEK
8. Donor tissue
Removed as early as possible (6-12 hours of death).
Corneas from infants (2 years and under) are rarely used -surgical,
refractive and rejection problems.
It should be stored under sterile conditions.
Evaluation –medical history review and donor blood screening to exclude
contraindications, and microscopic examination of the cornea including
endothelial cell count determination
9.
10.
11. Corneal preservation
Short-term storage (up to 2 days) -The whole globe is
preserved at 40C in a moist chamber.
Intermediate storage (up to 2 weeks) -McCarey-Kaufman
(MK) medium and various chondroitin sulfate enriched media
such as optisol medium used.
Long-term storage (up to 35 days) -It is done by organ
culture method.
12. Contraindications for donation of
corneal tissue
Absolute
Rabies
HIV, viral hepatitis, syphilis and active malaria.
Septicaemia
Prior high-risk behavior for HIV and hepatitis.
infectious diseases of the CNS.
Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease
Relative
Most hematological malignancies.
Ocular disease such as inflammation and malignancies (e.g. retinoblastoma) and corneal
refractive surgery.
Death of unknown cause.
Congenital rubella, tuberculosis
14. Because
PKP induced astigmatism in range of 3 to 7 diopters
Decline in endothelial cell count leading to graft failure
Allograft rejection and endothelial decompensation were the major concerns
Postoperative discomforts and wound healing time more
Wound strength in lamellar graft superior
Non penetrating surgery, it reduces the risk of intraocular complications like glaucoma,
cataract, CME,RD, endophthalmitis
Graft quality , endothelium count should be good in cases of PK compared to LK
15. LAMELLAR KERATOPLASTY
Involves a partial thickness of the cornea that is transplanted only on the
diseased portion.
Less invasive procedure but involves finer surgical skill and more refined
instrumentation.
16. History
In 1824 Reisinger performed the first animal graft and coined the term
‘Keratoplasty’.
The first successful lamellar keratoplasty was performed by Arthur Von
Hippel at the end of 19th century.
Jose Barraquer was the first to perform posterior lamellar keratoplasty in
1950
17. Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (ALK)
Removal and replacement of deformed or diseased anterior corneal
tissue ( epithelium, Bowman’s layer, and stroma)
Sparing the host Descemet’s membrane and endothelium
18.
19. Indications
Indicated in corneas that have a healthy endothelium
1.Optical ALK is useful in
Anterior stromal scars after infectious keratitis or trauma
Complications after refractive surgery
Dystrophies like epithelial and stromal dystrophy
Salzmann nodular degenerations, spheroidal degeneration etc
Post inflammatory:Trachomatous kerartopathy,healed superficial keratitis
20. Indications (contd…)
2. Tectonic ALK is useful in
Peripheral non inflammatory thinning
Terrien’s marginal degeneration
Pellucid marginal degeneration
Peripheral ulcerative autoimmune keratitis - Mooren’s ulcer.
Descematocoele
3. Combined indications include
Keratoconus
Pellucid marginal degeneration
Iatrogenic keratoectasia after Refractive surgeries
4.therapeutic
Infective keratitis limited to anterior corneal layers
21. Surgical Planning
(Surgeon to ask themselves)
Is the Endothelium Normal?
What level does the pathology extend?
Will leaving minimal posterior stroma affect visual outcome?
22. SALK
should be used when the anterior 30--50% of the cornea is affected with
pathology and is to be replaced with a similar amount of donor tissue.
The main indications are superficial scars resulting
from healed infections, including trachoma, trauma (post-laser or
accidental),
superficial corneal dystrophies and degenerations,
or persistent epithelial defects
24. Melles Technique(closed dissection)
To visualize the depth of lamellar dissection –
Exchange aqueous with air- Create Air Endothelium interface – Act as convex mirror
Specialised spatula –stromal pocket—inject visco—stroma over visco excised
A black band is visualized in front of dissecting instrument, which represent twice the residual
stroma
Trephination
A full-thickness donor button stripped off its DM is sutured in place.
Good visual results have been reported with this technique.
There is about a 14% chance of DM perforation.
26. Surgical technique Anwar ‘BUBBLE’
TECHNIQUE
The technique involves trephining the anterior host corneal surface with a Hessburg-
Barron suction trephine to a depth of about 400 µm
25-gauge disposable needle inserted into the corneal stroma,
Air is then injected to create a big bubble (Anwar’s technique) that will detach the deep
stromal layers from the Descemet’s membrane.
lamellar dissection and removal of the anterior stromal disk by crescent knife
27. Using a 30° superblade/15° lance tip, a small oblique incision is made in the corneal
stromal surface, releasing air and collapsing the big bubble.
The space between the Descemet’s membrane and the detached deep stroma is then
filled with viscoelastic.
Utilizing a divide-and-conquer technique with corneal microscissors, the remaining deep
corneal stroma is excised to expose the smooth surface of the Descemet’s membrane
28. The donor cornea is then trephined with a Hessburg-Barron trephine, followed by
staining of the endothelium with trypan blue.
Descemet’s membrane and the donor endothelium are then removed using dry cellulose
sponges and forceps.
The donor cornea devoid of Descemet’s membrane and endothelium is then placed
within the host corneal bed and sutured in place with 16 interrupted 10-0 nylon sutures.
29.
30. Viscoelastic Dissection Technique –
Viscoelastics, namely sodium hyaluronate, were forced into a previously
made stromal pocket using a 25-gauge blunt cannula to create a visco-
bubble.
This technique detaches the deeper stromal layer from the Descemet’s
membrane, and the detached stroma is then excised to expose the
Descemet’s membrane.
31. Hydrodelamination Technique-
A partial trephination and a lamellar keratectomy are carried out at a
suitable depth.
A small cut/depression is created in the deeper stroma. A 27-gauge needle
attached to a syringe is inserted at the bottom of the depression, and
saline is injected into the stromal bed, which whitens and swells.
A fine spatula is then inserted through a small incision in the
delaminated tissue and moved fan like in different direction to loosen the
residual stroma which is then dissected to reach the Descemet’s
membrane.
A 5-mm DM area in front of the pupil is exposed.
32. Microkeratome Technique –
The advantage of this technique over other lamellar techniques is the
relative ease of surgery and the low incidence of interface scarring and
irregular astigmatism.
The automated microkeratome is used to cut the donor lenticule, as well
as the corneal disc in the recipient eye.
The thickness of the cut can be adjusted in relation to the depth of the
lesion, by choosing the proper plate size (up to 450 μm).
This technique has advantage of a smooth central host bed and a
consistent and controlled bed diameter
33. Big Bubble Technique Combined with
Zigzag Femtosecond Laser Incisions--
The use of a femtosecond laser for the dissection of anterior lamella in
anterior keratoplasty was first described by Suwan et al in and latter by
Price et al Farid in 2009.
The technique combines the advantages of secure zigzag femtosecond
laser wound construction with the aim to reduce the amount of
postoperative astigmatism combined with the high-quality interface
obtained with the big bubble technique
34. Clinical Outcomes over various
techniques
The techniques of dissection as well as surgeon's experience are main
factors in determining the rate of true Descemet’s membrane
(DM)exposure
Sarnicola et al* found the highest rate (60%) with Anwar's big-bubble
technique.
Supplemented with viscoelastic dissection at the same session in the case
of unsuccessful air injection, this rate increased to as high as 77%
Viscodissection technique was the second most successful technique in
baring the DM, with a rate of 58%, followed by the hydrodelamination (7%)
35. Complications Intraoperative
Microperforation – Sudden softening eye and excursion of fluid or air
into the interface.
Occurrence 39% expert hand
Manage – Air in AC- Continue dissection peripheral to perforation.
Leaving Air bubble with supine position of patient
Macroperforation –
Convert PKP
Pupillary Block Glaucoma-
due to air bubble left in AC
Avoided by Pupil dilation if air left
Periodically examination eye in hour immediately after surgery
36. Graft host malapposition/edge irregularity
Due to improper sizing of tissues
Interface debris
Fibers, bleeding
37. COMPLICATION POSTOPERATIVE
Double AC
Cause- Micro perforation, Entrapped Visco at interface
Manage- Accelerated intracameral Air/ SF6 and drain interface fluid
Persistent epithelial defects
Suture related,ocular surface diseases,wound/edge problems
Infections
Suture related, lid adnexal abnormalities,poor hygiene,steroid
use,reactivation of herpectic infections
38. Graft vascularization
In cases of trachomatous keratopathy,chemical burns and SJ syndrome
Epithelial, Subepithelial or stromal rejection
Epithelium – Line of oedema
Subepithelial- Subepithelial infiltrate
Stromal –Oedema
39. Advantages of ALK
less chances of postoperative inflammation as well as secondary glaucoma.
No risk of endothelial graft rejection.
No need for long term steroid prophylaxis
Rapid functional recovery of vision.
Very good best corrected visual acuity (BCVA)
very low astigmatism.
No significant endothelial cell loss.
Penetrating Keratoplasty can be done if recurrences occur or Descemet's membrane
perforation occurs intraoperatively.
The criteria for quality of donor tissue are not very stringent
41. Endothelial Keratoplasty (EK)
Purpose To remove the diseased recipient endothelium and replace with
healthy donor corneal endothelium.
In 1998,Dr.Gerritt Melles et al first described this technique involved large
limbal incision and deep manual lamellar corneal dissection .
Dr. Mark Terry modified by small incision 5mm rename the Procedure
“Deep Lamellar Endothelial Keratoplasty (DLEK)”
Next Evolution by Melles was the substitution of the patient dissection with
Descement’s stripping and “Descement’s stripping Endo Keratoplasty (DSEK)”
coined
42. Why there is need
for EK ,an
alternative to
PKP?????
43. DLEK/DSEK/DMEK vs PKP
EK procedure preserves the normal corneal topography to allow faster visual recovery
Astigmatism after DLEK surgery was 1.63 ±0.97D* ,
In contrast, after standard PKP surgery was between 4.00 and 6.00D
After DLEK surgery and in DSEK 18-35% endothelial cell loss from preoperative donor
counts.After 5 years its was 54%.
After PKP, the cell count has been at 6months- 34% cell loss from preoperative donor
counts and 69% at 5 years.
Less immunological rejection rates than PK.PK>DSEK>DMEK
Tectonically stable globe
No suture related complication
45. SURGICAL PROCEDURE LARGE
INCISION TECHNIQUE(DLEK)
A scleral access incision is placed at superior limbal region of size 9.0
mm
SCLERO CORNEAL LAMELLAR POCKET IS MADE USING A CRESCENT
BLADE
STRAIGHT DEVERS DISSECTOR IS THEN USED TO EXTEND THE POCKET
TO MID PUPILLARY REGION OF THE CORNEA
THEN A CURVED DEVERS DISSECTOR EXTENDS THE POCKET
COMPLETELY TO THE LIMBUS FOR 360 DEGREES, CREATING A TOTAL
AREA OF DEEP LAMELLAR POCKET
46. THE RESECTION OF THE POSTERIOR RECIPIENT TISSUE IS DONE WITH
AN INTRASTROMAL TREPHINE (TERRY TREPHINE)
ONCE THE BLADE IS IN POSITION IN THE POCKET, IT IS ROTATED
ALONG THE ARC OF 9.0 MM SCLERAL INCISION
RESECTION OF THE RECIPIENTS DISK IS COMPLETED USING CINDY
SCISSORS
ONCE THE POSTERIOR RECEIPIENT DISK HAS BEEN CUT 360 DEGREES,
THE TISSUE IS REMOVED FROM THE EYE
47. DONOR TISSUE PREPARATION
THE DONOR CORNEOSCLERAL FLAP IS PLACED ON AN ARTIFICIAL ANTERIOR
CHAMBER WHICH IS COATED WITH HELON ON THE ENDOTHELIAL SIDE ARTIFICIAL
ANTERIOR CHAMBER HEALON ON THE ENDOTHELIUM
THE DONOR TISSUE IS THEN CAPPED ONTO PLACE AND TREPHINATION IS CARRIED
OUT TO ABOUT 60% DEPTH
LAMELLAR DISSECTION IS COMPLETED USING CRESCENT KNIFE THE DONOR
POSTERIOR DISC IS THEN PLACED ON A OUSLEY SPATULA
THE DONOR DISC IS THEN SLOWLY INSERTED USING OUSLEY SPATULA
THE SPATULA IS THEN GENTLY REMOVED FROM THE EYE LEAVING THE DONOR
TISSUE BEHIND SUPPORTED BY AIR BUBBLE IN ANTERIOR CHAMBER
10-0 NYLON IS THEN USED TO CLOSE THE SCLERAL WOUND AND PREVENT THE
ESCAPE OF DONOR TISSUE
A REVERSE SINSKEY HOOK IS THEN USED FOR ENDOTHELIAL SIDE POSITIONING
APPEARANCE AT THE END OF SURGERY
48.
49. Descemet’s Membrane Stripping
Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty
(DSAEK)
DSAEK It is a method of posterior lamellar keratoplasty in which the
recipient bed is prepared by stripping off the recipient’s Descemet's
membrane.
Technique was popularized by Gerrit Melles in 1999
50. Indications of DSAEK
Fuchs endothelial dystrophy (most common)
Pseudophakic/ Aphakic bullous keratopathy
Post PK endothelial graft rejection
Iridocorneal endothelial syndromes (ICE)
After glaucoma filtration surgeries
Eyes with anterior chamber IOL
51. SURGICAL TECHNIQUE
RECIPIENT’S CORNEA WOUND CONSTRUCTION THROUGH A 3-5 MM
SCLERO CORNEAL TUNNEL
WITH HEALON FILLING THE ANTERIOR CHAMBER DESCEMETORHEXIS
AND REMOVAL OF DESCEMET’S MEMBRANE AS A SINGLE DISK IS
CARRIED OUT USING DEXATOME
DESCEMETORHEXIS IS BEGUN IN THE DISTAL POINT FROM THE
ANTERIOR CHAMBER ENTRY SITE AND CONTINUED IN CLOCKWISE
FASHION.
THE PERIPHERAL STROMA IS MADE ROUGH USING THE DSAEK
SCRUBBER TO ENHANCE DONOR DISK ATTACHMENT TO RECIPIENT
CORNEA
52. Graft insertion and positioning
Forceps – charlie 2, goosey ,kelman
Sheets glide – sheets intraocular lens
Busin glide-reusable funnel glide
Insertors/injectors- endosertor,endoglide,neusidl
After graft is inserted—air BUBBLE—10-12 MINS
Anterior chamber and wound is closed by 3 interrupted nylon sutures
Donor disk is uniformly adherent to the patient’s cornea
53. DONOR PREPARATION
MOUNTED ON AN ARTIFICIAL ANTERIOR CHAMBER
MANUALLY OR SEMI AUTOMATED MICROKERATOME
FEMTOSECOND LASERS
55. DSEK/DSAEK - disadvantages
Steep learning curve
Higher endothelial cell loss rate in initial post op period
Graft dislocation
Pupillary block
Reports of graft dislocation in vitreous cavity in aphakics
Interface haze limiting 20/20 vision
More hyperopic shift compared to DMEK
56. DMEK(Descemet’s membrane
endothelial keratoplasty)
Transplantation of isolated donor endothelium and Descemet’s
membrane.
Steps – Isolation of donor DM and endothelium , recipient
descematorhexis followed by donor insertion and positioning
Donor preparation :DM isolated by direct peeling(SCUBA) or by injection
of air to create a Big Bubble
Donor tissue over 40 years of age is preferred
Insertion – glass pipette or IOL catridge and injector, through 2.8mm
corneal incision—unwrapping--air fill
57. DMEK --advantages
Reduction of interface haze
Less incidence of graft dislocation
Shorter visual recovery as total corneal thickness remains
same
Larger donor surface provides more viable endothelial cells
Less strong host graft apposition at interface allows easier
removal of failed/rejected donor lenticule
No costly instruments for donor lenticule preparation
58. disadvantages
Difficult and more traumatic manipulation of rolled
DM
Higher endothelial cell loss rates with current
techniques
59. DMEK
Not suitable for
1. Aphakics
2. Large iris defects
3. Previous pars plana vitrectomy
60. Surgical Outcomes
Visual acuity-6/9 to 6/18 with DSEK
DMEK has faster and better visual recovery
DMEK – 6/9 or better vision
Refractive results- mean hyperopic shift of 0.75 to 1.5D due to changes in
posterior corneal curvature and increase in thickness in DSEK
DMEK– 0.25 to 0.50 D hyperopic shift
Endothelial cell loss- at 6months- 18-35 % , 54% at 5years
Graft survival-55-100% in various studies
61. Complications of EK
Early post operative raised IOP
Pupillary block
Appositional angle closure
Graft Detachment/Dislocation-The most common complication following DSAEK surgery
is dislocation of the graft due to difficulty in achieving air fill for required time or to
maintain a firm eye.
DMEK>DSEk
Management-scraping, venting incisions, air, supine position, rebubbling
Epithelial down growth- donor epithelial entrapment
62. Interface abnormalities- thickness irregularities due to manual dissection—
folds and wrinkles in EK, incomplete removal of visco
Haze due to proteoglycan deposition
Infections
Graft rejection- Lower in EK compared to PK, rejection PK>DSEK>DMEK
Late endothelial graft Failure
Steroid induced glaucoma
63. The future of keratoplasty
Femtosecond Laser DSAEK •
This laser is used to create flaps in LASIK and can be used to perform keratoplasty with
different shapes of stromal cut. •
The laser uses an infrared wavelength (1053nm) to deliver closely spaced, 3 microns
spots that can be focused to a preset depth to photodisrupt the tissue within the corneal
stroma.
• Femtosecond laser is used to create a dissection plane on the donor cornea mounted on
artificial anterior chamber.
• Offers a potential advantage over microkeratome with regards to better sizing of the
posterior lenticule.
•Obtains a smooth surface and precise stromal cuts
64. SUTURELESS CORNEAL ADHESION
Bioadhesive (Fibrin glue)
Kaufman et al successfully used fibrin glue in small series of lamellar
keratoplasty
Photochemical keratodesmos is method of producing sutureless adhesion
by applying a photosensitizer to wound surfaces followed by low energy
laser irradiation.
Laser promotes cross linkage between collegen molecules to produce tight
seal without thermal damage.