title: Spontaneous Corneal Clearance in the Presence of a Partially Detached Graft after Non-Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the explantation of a detached and opaque donor disc as an alternative to secondary keratoplasty in a case of persistent graft detachment followed by spontaneous clearance of the recipient cornea after non-Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (non-DSAEK).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four months after graft explantation, BSCVA was 0.5 and endothelial cell density (ECD) was 1,221 cells/m(2). After 13 months, BSCVA was still 0.6 while ECD had fell to 800, and 2 years later, the endothelium decompensated. BSCVA was 0.3 and ECD was not measurable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge this is the first report of explantation of an endothelial graft as an alternative to re-keratoplasty in a case of spontaneous corneal clearance. This minimally invasive treatment may be considered in similar cases. However, due to the ongoing loss of endothelial cells after endothelial keratoplasty, a re-keratoplasty may still be needed in the long term.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany; The Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; First Department of Ophthalmology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Droutsas
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany; First Department of Ophthalmology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Apostolos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lazaridis
authors.affiliation: First Department of Ophthalmology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Chrysanthi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Koutsandrea
authors.affiliation: First Department of Ophthalmology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Klio I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Chatzistefanou
authors.affiliation: First Department of Ophthalmology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School of Athens, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Marilita M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Moschos
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sekundo
keywords: Contact inhibition; Non-Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty; Spontaneous corneal clearance