PURPOSE: Deep lamellar keratoplasty (DLKP) is an intricate procedure that preserves the host's endothelium, thus eliminating the possibility of endothelial graft rejection and potentially offering great benefits over penetrating keratoplasty. DLKP may be performed by a variety of techniques including viscodelamination, in which the stroma is separated from Descemet's membrane using viscoelastic. METHODS: Here we present an operative complication of this technique, which was not initially recognized, that caused significant morbidity to our patient and eventually led to the eye requiring a full thickness regraft. We also attempt to reproduce the lesion using nonviable cadaver corneas and illustrate histologically the nature of the corneal stroma and its relationship to Descemet's membrane following viscoelastic delamination.
PURPOSE:Deep lamellar keratoplasty (DLKP) is an intricate procedure that preserves the host's endothelium, thus eliminating the possibility of endothelial graft rejection and potentially offering great benefits over penetrating keratoplasty. DLKP may be performed by a variety of techniques including viscodelamination, in which the stroma is separated from Descemet's membrane using viscoelastic. METHODS: Here we present an operative complication of this technique, which was not initially recognized, that caused significant morbidity to our patient and eventually led to the eye requiring a full thickness regraft. We also attempt to reproduce the lesion using nonviable cadaver corneas and illustrate histologically the nature of the corneal stroma and its relationship to Descemet's membrane following viscoelastic delamination.