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Updated: Mar 21, 2026
Corneal Donor Tissue Preparation for Endothelial Keratoplasty
Published on: June 12, 2012
Eckardt Keratoprosthesis for Tectonic Repair of a Large Corneal Perforation
Silke Helsen1, Sorcha Ní Dhubhghaill, Nadia Zakaria
1*Department of Ophthalmology, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium; †Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; and ‡Centre for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium.
Purpose:
To report on the use of the Eckardt keratoprosthesis as an emergency temporary tectonic seal for a full-thickness, large decentered corneal perforation.
Methods:
Case report and review of the literature.
Results:
A 47-year-old male patient with myotonic dystrophy presented with a large corneal perforation as a complication of chronic ulceration caused by lagophthalmia and recurrent herpetic keratitis. The perforation was triggered by a superinfection with Gram-positive bacteria. In an emergency setting where no donor cornea was available, the Eckardt keratoprosthesis was sutured into the debrided corneal defect as a tectonic measure. A secondary procedure, consisting of open sky cataract extraction combined with penetrating keratoplasty was performed 3 weeks later. During this period, the prosthesis was well tolerated and the anterior chamber stayed well formed.
Conclusions:
The Eckardt keratoprosthesis allowed us to convert what would have been an emergency à chaud keratoplasty into a well-controlled elective procedure. In our case, the silicone prosthesis was well tolerated during the 3-week period while awaiting final repair with a corneal donor button.
