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Published on: July 18, 2014
Seoul-type keratoprosthesis: preliminary results of the first 7 human cases
Mee Kum Kim1, Jae Lim Lee, Won Ryang Wee
1Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul Municipal Boramae Hospital, Korea.
Objective:
To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a newly designed Seoul-type keratoprosthesis (S-KPro).
Methods:
The S-KPro, which consists of a polymethyl methacrylate optic, a skirt (polyurethane or polypropylene), and polypropylene haptics, was developed and implanted into 2 unsighted and 5 sighted eyes of 7 patients. One patient had a chemical burn, another had an ocular pemphigoid, and the remainder were diagnosed as having Stevens-Johnson syndrome. The preoperative visual acuities ranged from light perception to hand motions. The average follow-up time was 25.6 months.
Main Outcome Measures:
We evaluated anatomical stability, visual acuity, retinal status, and the visual field.
Results:
At the last follow-up visit, the S-KPro was well placed in 6 patients. The best-corrected visual acuities of the sighted patients ranged from 20/100 to 20/60 in the affected eye. One patient each experienced retinal detachment or endophthalmitis. Partial extrusion was found in the patient with glaucoma. A retroprosthetic membrane was detected in 1 patient and was treated with an Nd:YAG laser. No glaucomatous visual field defects were found in any of the sighted patients.
Conclusions:
Anatomical success was achieved in 6 of 7 eyes. In 3 of the 5 sighted eyes, the S-KPro could rehabilitate corneal blindness not correctable with keratoplasty.

