PURPOSE: To describe the changes in endothelial cell density after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in patients with previous Descemet stripping with automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). METHODS: Pars plana vitrectomy was performed in 3 eyes after DSAEK (16, 14, and 7 months, respectively). Two patients had a retinal detachment and the third patient had an epiretinal membrane. The cell population density and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) were measured before and after PPV. RESULTS: Two months after PPV, the average endothelial cell loss was 11.12% (range 10.3%-12.15%). One patient lost 2 lines of CDVA and the other 2 patients lost only half a line of Snellen CDVA. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who have undergone DSAEK may experience accelerated endothelial cell loss after a subsequent PPV procedure but the extra cell loss should not pose a short-term risk to graft viability unless the endothelial cell density was already borderline.
PURPOSE: To describe the changes in endothelial cell density after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in patients with previous Descemet stripping with automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). METHODS: Pars plana vitrectomy was performed in 3 eyes after DSAEK (16, 14, and 7 months, respectively). Two patients had a retinal detachment and the third patient had an epiretinal membrane. The cell population density and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) were measured before and after PPV. RESULTS: Two months after PPV, the average endothelial cell loss was 11.12% (range 10.3%-12.15%). One patient lost 2 lines of CDVA and the other 2 patients lost only half a line of Snellen CDVA. CONCLUSIONS:Patients who have undergone DSAEK may experience accelerated endothelial cell loss after a subsequent PPV procedure but the extra cell loss should not pose a short-term risk to graft viability unless the endothelial cell density was already borderline.