Sutureless Tectonic Mini-Descemet's Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty ("mini-DSAEK") for the management of corneal perforations.

PURPOSE

To report the outcomes of a new technique, pull-through sutureless 'mini-DSAEK', to manage corneal perforations secondary to different aetiologies including trauma, neurotrophic ulcer following penetrating keratoplasty (PK), herpes simplex keratitis and microbial keratitis.

METHODS

In this retrospective case series, we report the clinical outcomes of five cases of sutureless tectonic mini-DSAEK performed in patients presenting with large corneal perforations to Southend University Hospital between November 2019 and October 2020. One corneal perforation was sufficiently peripheral for the tectonic mini-DSAEK graft to be successfully positioned outside of the central visual axis. Four corneal perforations were central or paracentral for which the tectonic grafts involved the visual axis.

RESULTS

Anterior chambers remained deep and formed with no evidence of leak in all subsequent follow ups in all patients representing 100% tectonic success. All tectonic grafts remained attached except one partially detached graft. One patient underwent uneventful phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implant 8 months after the primary intervention with excellent visual outcome. Two patients underwent two-piece mushroom PK and one patient underwent triple procedure (cataract extraction   +   intraocular lens   +   PK) for visual rehabilitation 2-6 months after the primary intervention with good visual outcome.

CONCLUSION

Sutureless tectonic pull-through mini-DSAEK is a useful technique in the management of corneal perforations, with a number of advantages compared with conventional techniques.