J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  2016 Jun;57(6):988-993. 10.3341/jkos.2016.57.6.988.

Four Cases of Split Cornea Transplantation from a Single Cornea

• Kim HW
• Hwang HS
• Lim SA
• Kim MS

• KMID: 2290504
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3341/jkos.2016.57.6.988

Abstract

PURPOSE
To report four cases of split cornea transplantation involving separate Descemet membrane keratoplasty and Deep anterior lamella keratoplasty from a single cornea.
CASE SUMMARY
Four donor corneas were separated into the endothelium and other layers. The endothelial layers were transplanted into 4 pseudophakic bullous keratopathy patients, and the other layers were stored in corneal storage media. Deep anterior lamella keratoplasties were performed with the stored corneas in 2 lipid keratopathy and 2 keratoconus patients. Postoperatively, all grafted corneas were stable.
CONCLUSIONS
The authors report the first 4 cases of split cornea transplantation in Korea, which is experiencing a shortage of donated corneas. Split cornea transplantation will be of benefit to a large number of patients by separating a single cornea into separate layers to be implanted into two patients.

Keyword

Corneal transplantation; Deep anterior lamella keratoplasty (DALK); Descemet membrane; Partial thickness corneal transplantation; Split cornea transplantation

MeSH Terms

Cornea*
Corneal Transplantation*
Descemet Membrane
Endothelium
Humans
Keratoconus
Korea
Tissue Donors
Transplants

Figure

• 

  Figure 1. Slit-lamp photographs of a Descemet membrane keratoplasty (DMEK) case. (A) Corneal opacity is seen in pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (PBK) patient before DMEK by slit lamp examination. (B) Clear graft is seen after two months following DMEK.

• 

  Figure 2. Slit-lamp photographs of a Deep anterior lamella keratoplasty (DALK) case. (A) Corneal opacity is seen at the center of the cornea in the keratoconus patient before DALK by slit lamp examination. (B) After one month postoperatively, clear graft but mild descemet membrane folds are to be seen in the recipient cornea. There is no rejection sign.

Reference

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