Abstract
Purpose: :
To evaluate ECD–decay patterns after PLK.
Methods: :
Two surgical techniques for PLK were evaluated: Group A: 9 mm incision; 7.5 mm unfolded donor posterior disk (10 patients), and Group B: 5 mm incision; 9.0 mm folded donor posterior disk (4 patients).1
Results: :
In Group A, one patient was lost to FU and one graft had decompensated. In one eye with a partially decompensated graft, ECD was 368 cells/mm2 (80 mFU). Other ECDs (60 – 72 mFU) ranged from 607 – 1576 cells/mm2. In Group B (54 mFU) ECDs ranged from 595 – 805 cells/mm2. Adjusted regression models1 now predicted both Groups would reach the 500–cells/mm2–level at 7 years FU. Bi–exponential regression models2 revealed fast–phase ECD loss with half–times of 1.2 hours in Group A; and 2.7 hours in Group B but of a larger proportion of preoperative ECD. Slow phases had half–times of 3 and 3.6 years, respectively.
References: :
1. Van Dooren BTH et al. Am J Ophthalmol 2004;138:211–217. 2. Armitage WJ et al. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2003;44:3326–3331.
Keywords: cornea: endothelium • cornea: clinical science • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: outcomes/complications