title: [Phototherapeutic keratectomy. Basic principles, techniques and indications].
abstract: Phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) involves the removal of corneal tissue with an excimer laser for therapeutic and/or functional purposes. In contrast to photorefractive keratectomy, a change in manifest refraction is not the primary goal of the treatment. The main indications are poor epithelial adherence, corneal opacities or an irregular corneal surface, as well as combinations of these. We describe the basic techniques, such as large area and focal PTK and provide recommendations on use of different masking agents. Numerous well established and rare clinical examples are described in terms of achievable PTK results.
authors.affiliation: Augenklinik Marburg, Universitätsklinikum Giessen und Marburg, Robert-Koch-Strasse 4, 35037 Marburg. sekundo@med.uni-marburg.de
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sekundo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Geerling
mesh_terms: D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D054018:Lasers, Excimer; D018903:Photorefractive Keratectomy / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D010789:Phototherapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D054140:Refractive Surgical Procedures; D016896:Treatment Outcome