Prospective Assessment of Adjuvant Netarsudil Use in Patients Undergoing Descemet Stripping Only

We sought to determine whether adjuvant use of netarsudil improves corneal clearance rate and regeneration of corneal endothelial cells in patients undergoing Descemet stripping only (DSO).

We conducted a prospective assessment on the use of adjuvant netarsudil in 50 eyes from 25 patients undergoing DSO at Massachusetts Eye and Ear between May 2021 and May 2023. Our comparison group was a retrospective cohort of patients (23 eyes from 15 patients) who previously underwent DSO without the use of a postoperative rho-kinase inhibitor between September 2014 and March 2020.

Use of netarsudil after DSO statistically significantly reduced time to corneal clearance, improved best corrected visual acuity, reduced pachymetric thickness, and increased central endothelial cell count (ECC) at 6 months postoperatively. Importantly, central ECC continued to increase beyond 12 months after DSO with central ECC still statistically significantly greater in eyes that received netarsudil than in eyes that received no netarsudil.

A rho-kinase inhibitor, such as netarsudil, after DSO should be used if available to achieve the best corneal clearance, best corrected visual acuity, and ECC after surgery.