Outcomes of Descemet-Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty in 52 Eyes With Iridocorneal Endothelial Syndrome

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term outcomes of Descemet-stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) in 52 eyes with iridocorneal endothelial (ICE) syndrome. Methods: Retrospective study of 52 eyes of 52 patients who were diagnosed with ICE syndrome and underwent DSEK between January 2010 and December 2019 with a follow-up of at least 6 months. Results: The mean age was 48.8 +/- 10.8 years. Female patients (n = 33) constituted 63.5%. The median duration of follow-up was 2.4 years (range, 0.5-9.1 yrs). The mean best-corrected visual acuity improved significantly after surgery and remained stable (similar to 20/50) through 5 years. The mean endothelial cell loss was 28%, 37.9%, 43.6%, and 56.9% at 6 months and at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. Graft rejection was noted in 5 eyes (9.6%). Postoperatively, increased intraocular pressure (IOP) was seen in 17 eyes (32.7%), and 10 eyes (19.2%) underwent glaucoma surgeries. Fourteen eyes (26.9%) had secondary graft failures. The estimates of graft success were 93.6% +/- 3.6% at 1 year, 85.6% +/- 5.5% at 2 years, 79.3% +/- 6.7% at 3 years, 69.0% +/- 8.9% at 4 years, and 59.1% +/- 11.9% at 5 years. Postoperative increased IOP was found to be the only significant (P = 0.05) risk factor (hazard ratio 8.92) associated with graft failure. The clinical variant of ICE syndrome did not seem to influence the graft survival (P = 0.68). Conclusions: In this study, DSEK had a success rate of similar to 60% at 5 years. Increased IOP post-DSEK is a significant risk factor for graft failure. Graft survival is not affected by the clinical variant of ICE syndrome.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the long-term outcomes of DSEK in 52 eyes with ICE syndrome, showing a success rate of approximately 60% at 5 years. Increased intraocular pressure post-DSEK was identified as a significant risk factor for graft failure, while the clinical variant of ICE syndrome did not influence graft survival.