Outcome of Descemet membrane detachment repair using air descemetopexy and Descemet membrane suturing after cataract surgery

Abstract

This case series aimed to determine the outcomes of Descemet membrane detachment (DMD) repair after cataract surgery using air descemetopexy, Descemet membrane (DM) suturing, or a combination of these techniques. In this retrospective, interventional case series, the medical records of six patients who underwent DM repair performed by a single surgeon after cataract surgery between February 2022 and February 2023 was obtained from the hospital. Slit-lamp grading of DMD was mild, moderate, or severe. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) was performed for patients with diffuse corneal edema. Air descemetopexy and DM suturing were performed according to standard treatment guidelines. The anatomical, functional, and clinical outcomes were assessed. Four patients had DM reattachment, and one patient had persistent DMD that led to the decompensated cornea that underwent Descemet’s stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK). Four patients had best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) <logMAR 0.3 at 4–6 weeks of follow-up, and two had BCVA >logMAR 0.3. Clinical outcomes showed a clear cornea in four patients, a decompensated cornea in one patient, and a scarred cornea in one patient. In moderate and severe DMD cases, prompt and adequate surgical intervention in the form of air descemetopexy and DM suturing reduces the rate of corneal transplantation.