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Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Corneal Donor Tissue Preparation for Descemet's Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty
Published on: September 17, 2014
[Hemorrhagic Descemet's membrane detachment after viscocanalostomy]
R Gallego-Pinazo1, E López-Sánchez, J Marín-Montiel
1Hospital Universitario La Fe, Valencia, España. robertogallego@comv.es
Introduction:
Viscocanalostomy is an option in the surgical treatment of glaucoma. This non-penetrating technique favours aqueous drainage through the Schlemm channel while avoiding filtering blebs and their related pathologies. Complications associated to this surgery are unusual, one of which is Decemet's membrane detachment (DMD) CLINICAL CASE: A 64 year-old female diagnosed with open-angle chronic glaucoma, whose had undergone a viscocanalostomy of the left eye. In the immediate postoperative period we noticed a hemorrhagic DMD in the lower temporal quadrant. After adopting a wait and see attitude, we did not find improvement 15 days after surgery and corneal edema was established with vision decrease. We proceeded to a surgical reapplication by means of Descemet's membrane micropuncture and SF6 injection into the anterior chamber and achieving an anatomical and functional improvement
Discussion:
We believe that the intrusion of viscoelastic material into the supradescemetic was a consequence of the high-pressure during the high-density hyaluronate injection. Hemorrhagic DMD management is mainly determined by its location, size and evolution. In our case, the posterior endothelial micropuncture and descematopexy by means of 20% SF6 injection into the anterior chamber was useful in resolving this complication.
