Abstract
Purpose :
To address the feasibility of DMEK injection with different injector sizes.
Methods :
3 different sizes of glass injector for micro incision DMEK were analyzed. 22 DMEK grafts of three different diameters (range: 7.5, 8.5 and 9.5mm) were used in the study. Inner and outer diameter as well as wall thickness were determined. Technical feasibility and cellular viability were studied. Technical feasibility was addressed with injector tensile strength and graft injection dynamics. Cellular viability was address through trypan blue staining. Areas with denuded Descemet Membrane were localized with the different sizes.
Results :
No significant changes in endothelial cell viability was observed between the three models. No intra surgical breaks of the injector tip were observed. Changes in graft injection dynamics were strongly influenced by the inner diameter of the injection device and the graft size.
Conclusions :
Injecting DMEK grafts through smaller incisions might be possible. However, the surgeon should be aware of the great influence of the graft size in the injection dynamics.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.