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26th International Congress of German Ophthalmic Surgeons

13. to 15.06.2013, Nürnberg

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Outcome of phacoemulsification after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) (B)

Meeting Abstract

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  • Lamis Baydoun - NIIOS, Rotterdam
  • Fayyaz U. Musa - NIIOS, Rotterdam
  • Javier Cabrerizo - NIIOS, Rotterdam
  • Ruth Quilendrino - NIIOS, Rotterdam
  • Isabel Dapena - NIIOS, Rotterdam
  • Lisanne Ham - NIIOS, Rotterdam
  • Gerrit R. J. Melles - NIIOS, Rotterdam

26. Internationaler Kongress der Deutschen Ophthalmochirurgen. Nürnberg, 13.-15.06.2013. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2013. DocWK 4a.22

doi: 10.3205/13doc145, urn:nbn:de:0183-13doc1456

Published: October 18, 2013

© 2013 Baydoun et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

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Objective: To evaluate the incidence of secondary cataract after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), and the feasibility and outcome of phacoemulsification cataract surgery after DMEK.

Method: From a series of 106 consecutive phakic eyes that underwent DMEK for Fuchs endothelial dystrophy or bullous keratopathy, five (4.7%) required cataract surgery 9.2 (± 3.8) months (range 4 to 14 months) after the initial DMEK. Outcomes after phacoemulsification were retrospectively assessed by reviewing the change in visual acuity, refractive error, endothelial cell density, pachymetry and the incidence of complications.

Result: All phacoemulsification surgeries were uneventful and no dislocations and/or detachments of the Descemet graft were observed. At 6 to 12 months after phacoemulsification, all eyes reached a BCVA of ≥20/30 (0.6) and were within 0.5D of the intraocular lens power calculations. Endothelial cell density decreased from on average 1535 (± 195) cells/mm2 before, to 1158 (± 250) cells/mm2. No significant changes in pachymetry values were observed up to 6 to 12 months postoperatively. All corneas remained clear throughout the study period.

Conclusion: Phacoemulsification after DMEK can be performed with minimal risk of graft dislocation and may provide good refractive and visual outcomes with an acceptable decrease in endothelial cell density.