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Corneal trephination with the femtosecond laser
Christian Meltendorf1, Jan Schroeter, Reinhold Bug
1Department of Ophthalmology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Purpose:
To evaluate the feasibility and cut quality of corneal trephination in human donor corneal tissue with the femtosecond laser.
Methods:
Twelve human corneoscleral discs were inserted in an artificial anterior chamber. After corneal thickness measurement and tonometry, the cornea was mounted on a femtosecond laser (FEMTEC; 20/10 Perfect Vision, Heidelberg, Germany) through a contact lens (patient interface). Trephination was performed with diameters of 7.0, 7.5, 8.0, and 8.5 mm in 3 corneas each. The corneal button was removed from the corneoscleral disc in 2 of the 3 corneas in each case. The cut was not manipulated in the remaining corneas to enable histologic detection of possible tissue bridges. The cut edges were macroscopically and light-microscopically examined for quality.
Results:
Corneal buttons and corneoscleral discs could be separated by blunt dissection in all cases. Tissue bridges were more common in thicker edematous corneas than in thinner ones. Both the macro- and microscopic examination disclosed smooth rectilinear cut margins with a perpendicular cut edge.
Conclusion:
This feasibility study shows that the femtosecond laser enables sufficient trephination of human donor corneas.
