Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty for Ectatic Disease

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recently, deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) has received attention for patients with ectatic diseases not affecting the endothelium. However, it was not always so. For years, DALK was overlooked due to the difficulty in achieving good visual results, which were considered weak in comparison with the results of penetrating keratoplasty (PK). DALK was proposed to retain a patient's healthy endothelium; thereby avoiding some possible complications of PK. Preservation of the endothelium contributes to prolonged survival of the button and thus overcomes a major cause of failure after PK. DALK is now accepted as a viable alternative to PK. With advances in surgical techniques, instruments, and imaging technologies, visual results obtained with lamellar keratoplasty are equivalent to visual outcomes with PK, in addition to providing a transplant cost benefit owing to a better transplantation survival rate. How to cite this article Luz A, Babosa L, Fontes BM, Ramos I, Schor P, Ambrósio R Jr. Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty for Ectatic Disease. Int J Kerat Ect Cor Dis 2013;2(1):20-27.