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Updated: Jul 4, 2026
Corneal Donor Tissue Preparation for Descemet's Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty
Published on: September 17, 2014
Epithelial ingrowth after Descemet-stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty
Steven B Koenig1, Douglas J Covert
1The Eye Institute, Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA. skoenig@mcw.edu
Purpose:
To report the diagnosis and treatment of a patient who developed epithelial ingrowth after Descemet-stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK).
Methods:
We describe the case of an 80-year-old woman who underwent DSAEK for pseudophakic bullous keratopathy. After surgery, the patient underwent 2 additional rebubbling procedures for recurrent donor lenticule dislocation. She was subsequently found to have an enlarging interface epithelial ingrowth that led to graft failure.
Results:
After donor lenticule exchange, mechanical scraping, and irrigation-aspiration of residual epithelial cells, there was no evidence of the histologically confirmed epithelial ingrowth during a 2-year follow-up interval.
Conclusions:
This 1 case report suggests that epithelial ingrowth may occur after DSAEK. This case was successfully treated surgically.
