Purpose: To report the indications and outcomes of 8.5/8.6-mm excimer laser-assisted
penetrating keratoplasties (PKPs) at a tertiary corneal subspecialty referral center.
Methods: This retrospective, descriptive, observational study included 107 PKPs performed
in 96 patients (mean age, 53 +/- 12 years). The patients' indications for surgery,
best-corrected visual acuity, surface regularity index, surface asymmetry index, topographic
astigmatism, central endothelial cell density, central corneal thickness, and graft
status were recorded preoperatively, 6 weeks postoperatively, and before (12 +/- 2
months) and after (19 +/- 4 months) the suture removal. Results: The surgeries included
48 primary PKPs and 59 repeat PKPs. The main indications were corneal ectatic disorders
(50%), severe corneal keratitis (21%), and corneal scars (16%) in the primary PKP
group and highly irregular astigmatism after PKP (51%) and previous graft decompensation
(37%) in the repeat PKP group. From preoperative measurements to the last follow-up
visit without sutures, we found significant improvements (P< 0.001 for all) in visual
acuity (0.7 +/- 0.3 LogMAR to 0.3 +/- 0.2 LogMAR), surface regularity index (1.5-1.0),
and surface asymmetry index (2.59-1.1). At the last follow-up, the mean outcome measurements
did not significantly differ between the primary and repeat PKP groups. Overall, 89
grafts (83%) remained clear at the last follow-up. Conclusions: In cases of ectatic
disorders and highly irregular astigmatism after keratoplasty, 8.5/8.6-mm excimer
laser-assisted PKP seems to be an excellent treatment option, achieving a significant
improvement in visual acuity.
