Femtosecond laser-assisted (triple-)deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty with a novel liquid interface

Purpose

Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) has become a safe and standardized technique for the treatment of corneal diseases. The use of femtosecond lasers for corneal trephination in DALK allows for a precise and controlled corneal trephination very close to Descemet’s membrane (DM) which is important for a successful pneumatic dissection and results in separation of Pre-Descemet’s layer (Dua’s layer, PDL) and/or DM from the stroma. However, even with newer curved contact interfaces the cornea becomes massively warped during trephination causing irregular trephination patterns which results in high postoperative astigmatism. Here we present a novel technique of Femto-DALK using a non-contact liquid interface where the cornea keeps its natural curvature during the complete laser process.

Methods

Case series of two patients, which underwent femtosecondlaser-assistant deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty by using a non-contact liquid interface. The laser device (Ziemer LDV Z8, Ziemer Ophthalmic Systems AG, Port, Switzerland) was used for trephination of the donor and recipient cornea. In one patient Femto-DALK was combined with femtolaser-assisted cataract surgery (Femto-Phaco). Read-out parameters were the feasibility of the technique and postoperative outcome.

Results

Trephination was successful in both cases leading to a circular trephination very close to the recipients’ Descemet’s membrane. In both patients a big bubble type 1 was induced successfully.

Conclusions

Femtosecondlaser-assisted DALK using a liquid interface is a novel procedure representing an alternative to manual DALK or Femto-DALK with a contact interface. Future studies need to evaluate outcomes and complication rates in comparison to manual DALK and microscope-integrated Optical Coherence Tomography-aided DALK.