Purpose: To report our initial series of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) patients with 2 years of follow-up and to compare the complications and outcomes between normal and abnormal eyes.
Methods: Records of all patients who underwent DSAEK between April 2007 and April 2009 were reviewed. Eyes were categorized as “normal” or “abnormal” for comparison. Two risk factors, anterior chamber compromise and glaucoma tube/bleb, were analyzed for association with tissue detachment.
Results: Thirteen DSAEKs were performed on 13 “normal” eyes, and 18 DSAEKs were performed on 15 “abnormal” eyes. The lenticule detachment rates were 15.4% in the normal group and 41.2% in the abnormal group (P = 0.13). The difference in endothelial cell loss was not significant until 1.5 years postoperatively in favor of the abnormal group (P = 0.024). The mean starting vision was 20/115 for the normal group and 20/322 for the abnormal group (P = 0.06). At 2 years, the mean visual acuity was 20/47 for the normal group and 20/34 for the abnormal group (P = 0.44). Risk factor analyses indicated that glaucoma tubes/blebs were not related to lenticule detachment (P = 0.45), whereas anterior chamber compromise was related to lenticule detachment (P = 0.031).
Conclusions: Complication rates for abnormal eyes are higher than those for normal eyes, and risk factor analyses suggest that marked anterior chamber compromise is related to lenticule detachment. However, if DSAEK is successful for these compromised eyes, the visual outcomes compare favorably with normal eyes through 2 years of follow-up.