Título

EYE BANK PRECUT ENDOTHELIAL GRAFT: DIGITAL MEASUREMENTS AND SCROLLING CHARACTERISTICS

Objetivo

To analyze endothelial grafts digital measurements and scrolling characteristics.

Método

The experimental study included 47 corneoscleral buttons unsuitable for transplantation dissected by intrastromal air injection into pre-Descemet endothelial keratoplasty (PDEK) or Descemet´s membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). Four frames of video recorded procedure were analyzed using FIJI-ImageJ, and the following digital measurements were calculated: posterior white-to-white distance (PWTWD), big bubble diameter (BBD), central graft width (CGW), CGW after trypan blue (TB) stain (TB-CGW), graft length (GL), graft area (GA), graft margin circularity (GMC). Scrolling characteristics (SS) were categorized as previous description. CGW paired samples were analyzed using student t-test. Dispersion values, coefficient of determination (R2) and Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated for age and CGW. GL, GA and GMC unpaired samples were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney test. Statistical significance was set at P <0.05.

Resultado

Donors average age was 53.85 ± 14.5 years and 18 were male donors (66.6%). Twenty-four PDEK grafts (51%) and 17 DMEK grafts (36.2%) were dissected. Six dissections failed (12.8%), and half were from diabetic donors (P<0.001). CGW was significantly higher (P<0.05) in PDEK grafts (2.359 mm ± 0.365) than DMEK (1.956 mm ± 0.415), and TB did not change CGW measurements in either technique (P>0.05). Age and CGW were weakly correlated for DMEK (R2=0.28) and had no correlation for PDEK (R2=0.00). DMEK had higher GL, GA, and GMC than PDEK (P<0.05). Predominantly, PDEK grafts were SS-2 (50%) and DMEK grafts were SS-3 (70.5%).

Conclusão

CGW and SS were easily obtained by the eye bank and characterize the endothelial graft roll. CGW in PDEK were higher than DMEK grafts and had an inverse relationship with SS. TB staining did not change CGW measurements. Donor age and CGW were weakly correlated in DMEK grafts.