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Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK)

Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK)

Category(ies): Cornea
Contributor: Jesse Vislisel, MD
Photographer: Antoinette Venckus, CRA (Figures A-C), Brice Critser, CRA (Figures D, E)

Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK) is a partial-thickness cornea transplant procedure that involves selective removal of the patient's Descemet membrane and endothelium, followed by transplantation of donor corneal endothelium and Descemet membrane without additional stromal tissue from the donor.

post-operative appearance of patientd who underwent DMEK for Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy at 1 week post-operatively with residual anterior chamber gas bubbles
Figure 1A: post-operative appearance of patientd who underwent DMEK for Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy at 1 week post-operatively with residual anterior chamber gas bubbles
post-operative appearance of patientd who underwent DMEK for Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy at 1 week post-operatively with residual anterior chamber gas bubbles
Figure 1B: post-operative appearance of patientd who underwent DMEK for Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy at 1 week post-operatively with residual anterior chamber gas bubbles
 2 weeks post-operatively with complete resorption of the gas
Figure 1C: post-operative appearance of patientd who underwent DMEK for Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy at 2 weeks post-operatively with complete resorption of the gas
 The appearance 1 month after surgery with a clear cornea
Figure 1D: The appearance 1 month after surgery with a clear cornea and 20/20 acuity
 The appearance 1 month after surgery with a clear cornea second example
Figure 1E: The appearance 1 month after surgery with a clear cornea and 20/20 acuity
 OCT showing graft lifting is limited
Figure 2: Anterior segment optical coherence tomography demonstrating a limited, peripheral graft edge lift one week after DMEK surgery (right side of image). The attached portion of the graft mimics normal anatomy due to the precise 1-to-1 replacement of tissue with DMEK.