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An “All-laser” Endothelial Transplant
Published on: July 6, 2015
Lamellar corneal transplantation.
Eduardo Arenas1, Salomon Esquenazi, Mohammad Anwar
1Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota, Bogota, Colombia. earenascable@gmail.com
Survey of Ophthalmology
|October 17, 2012
Summary
Lamellar keratoplasty, an alternative to penetrating keratoplasty, offers comparable visual outcomes for corneal diseases. It involves replacing only diseased corneal layers, leading to faster recovery for certain conditions.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Corneal Surgery
- Transplantation
Background:
- Penetrating keratoplasty (PK) is the traditional standard for corneal pathologies.
- Lamellar keratoplasty (LK) has emerged as a viable alternative, replacing only diseased corneal layers.
- Innovations enhance LK techniques, offering outcomes comparable to PK.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review indications and outcomes of anterior lamellar keratoplasty (ALK) for stromal disorders.
- To discuss posterior lamellar keratoplasty (PLK) techniques, including Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK).
- To compare visual rehabilitation and graft survival rates between LK and PK.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on ALK and PLK techniques.
- Analysis of surgical outcomes, visual rehabilitation, and graft survival.
- Comparison of results between different keratoplasty methods.
Main Results:
- ALK techniques provide effective treatment for stromal disorders.
- PLK, specifically DSAEK and DMEK, offers faster visual rehabilitation than PK for Fuchs endothelial dystrophy and pseudophakic bullous keratopathy.
- Therapeutic ALK shows similar graft survival to PK for infectious keratitis without increased recurrence risk.
Conclusions:
- Lamellar keratoplasty is a significant advancement in corneal transplantation.
- ALK and PLK offer specific advantages over PK in terms of visual recovery and disease management.
- These techniques represent evolving standards in treating various corneal conditions.
