title: Late-onset persistent Descemet's membrane detachment following uncomplicated clear corneal incision cataract surgery.
abstract: We report the case of a 76-year-old man who developed a late-onset Descemet's membrane detachment (DMD) 5 months after uncomplicated cataract surgery. Despite two air tamponade procedures that initially appeared successful, the DMD continued to return. After careful examination it was found that a surgical entry wound may have been scarred open (fish-mouthing), which continually promoted Descemet's membrane to detach. Excision of the abnormal scar led to an almost complete resolution of the DMD. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a pathological (fish-mouthing) entry wound causing a persistent, late DMD. We discuss the reasons why the management of late DMDs requires careful consideration.
authors.affiliation: Queensland Eye Institute, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. cstmac@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Fiona
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: McAlister
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003315:Cornea / Q000601:surgery*; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D003886:Descemet Membrane / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008297:Male; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012008:Recurrence; D012422:Rupture, Spontaneous; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology