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Updated: Aug 22, 2025
Corneal Donor Tissue Preparation for Descemet's Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty
Published on: September 17, 2014
Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty for primary graft failure after penetrating keratoplasty
Bruno Lovaglio Cançado Trindade1,2, Fellype Borges de Oliveira1, Letícia Arriel Crepaldi1
1Departament of Cornea, Instituto de Olhos, Hospital de Universitário de Ciências Médicas, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Abstract:
Primary graft failure (PGF) is a known complication following penetrating keratoplasty (PKP). The usual approach to treat this complication is to repeat a penetrating keratoplasty. Here, we report a case of Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) for the treatment of PGF after PKP. A patient that underwent PKP, developed PGF with persistent graft edema and very poor visual acuity despite aggressive steroid use and a proof anti-viral treatment. Three months after the initial surgery, a DMEK was performed under the PKP graft. There was progressive early corneal clearing and, by the end of the first month, the patient already had no corneal edema. Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) improved to 20/40 and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) to 20/20. DMEK may be an alternative to a second PKP for the treatment of PGF. This technique is a less invasive option when compared to the standard PKP procedure.
