TY  - JOUR
A1  - Wolf, Armin
A1  - Jagow, Burkhard von
A1  - Kook, Daniel
A1  - Messmer, Elisabeth M.
A1  - Lackerbauer, Carlo A.
A1  - Kampik, Anselm
A1  - Kohnen, Thomas
A1  - Grüterich, Martin
T1  - Evaluation of interface quality in organ-cultured lamellar corneal transplants
T2  - Clinical ophthalmology
N2  - Background: With increasing numbers of lamellar keratoplasties, eye banks are challenged to deliver precut lamellar donor tissue. In Europe, the most common technique of corneal storage is organ culture which requires a deswelling process before surgical processing. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different deswelling times on the cutting plane quality after microkeratome-assisted lamellar dissection.
Methods: Eight paired donor corneas (16 specimens) not suitable for transplantation were organ cultured under standard conditions at the Eye Bank of the Ludwig-Maximilians Universität, Munich, Germany. Pairs of corneal buttons were analyzed during the deswelling process in dextrane-containing medium. While one cornea was cut at an early time point during the deswelling process and put back into deswelling medium thereafter, the partner cornea was completely deswollen and dissected after 72 hours. Specimens were then further processed for scanning electron microscopy. Surface quality was assessed both digitally using Scanning Probe Imaging Processing software, and manually by three blinded graders.
Results: The corneal buttons processed at the beginning of the deswelling process had a smoother surface when compared to the partner cornea that was cut at the end of the deswelling process. In our setting, no relevant difference was detectable between manual and automated microkeratome dissection.
Conclusion: For lamellar keratoplasty, organ-cultured corneas should be processed at an early stage during the deswelling process. We interpret the smoother dissection plane during early deswelling as a result of mechanical properties in a highly hydrated cornea.
KW  - keratoplasty
KW  - deswelling
KW  - corneas
KW  - microkeratome
Y1  - 2012
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/25797
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-257978
SN  - 1177-5483
SN  - 1177-5467
N1  - This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.
VL  - 6
SP  - 967
EP  - 972
PB  - Dove Medical Press
CY  - Auckland, New Zealand
ER  -