Factors associated with endothelial cell density loss post Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty for bullous keratopathy in Asia

PURPOSE: To investigate the factors associated with endothelial survival after Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) in eyes of Asian patients with bullous keratopathy (BK). METHODS: In this retrospective, consecutive interventional case series, 72 eyes of 72 patients who underwent DMEK were evaluated. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) were assessed at 12 months postoperatively. Multiple regression analysis was performed to assess parameters such as age, sex, axial length, preoperative visual acuity, re-bubbling, the ratio of graft to cornea area, iris damage scores, types of filling gases, air or SF(6) volume in the anterior chamber (AC) on postoperative day 1, and ECD loss rates at 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS: BCVA improved significantly at 12 months after DMEK (P < .001). The rate of ECD loss at 12 months after DMEK was 54.4 ± 16.1%. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that a larger ratio of graft to corneal area (P = 0.0061) and higher donor ECD (P = 0.042) were the primary factors for a lower ECD loss rate at 12 months after DMEK. CONCLUSION: A relatively larger graft size compared to the host cornea and more donor ECD might help endothelial survival in patients with BK. Moreover, for such patients, the surgeon should attempt to use a relatively larger graft size when performing DMEK, particularly in Asian eyes.