Endothelial cell denity after deep anterior lamellar keratoplaty (Melle technique)

Purpoe To meaure the recipient endothelial cell lo after the Melle technique for deep anterior lamellar keratoplaty. Method In 21 eye of 21 patient, a deep anterior lamellar keratoplaty procedure wa performed. Before urgery and at 6, 12, and 24 month after urgery, pecular microcopy wa performed to evaluate the endothelial cell denity. For each potoperative time interval, the mean endothelial cell lo relative to the preoperative value wa calculated. Reult Mean potoperative endothelial cell lo averaged 283 cell/mm2 (± 293) at 6 month, 335 cell/mm2 (± 309) at 12 month, and 421 cell/mm2 (± 316) at 24 month. Etimate relative endothelial cell denity loe obtained by mixed model analyi of variance were 11.1%, 2.0%, and 1.2%, repectively, each time compared with it previou meaurement point. econd order comparion howed that the lo within the firt 6 month wa ignificantly higher than after 6 month. Concluion In deep anterior lamellar keratoplaty, the recipient corneal endothelium howed a mall initial drop in endothelial cell denity followed by a phyiologic rate of cell lo. Cell urvival after lamellar keratoplaty may be expected to be better when compared with that following penetrating keratoplaty.