To evaluate the visual outcomes and postoperative complications after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) in patients after radiation therapy for uveal melanoma. In this retrospective observational study, 9 eyes of 9 patients after radiation therapy for uveal melanoma who received DMEK surgery at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin were included. Preoperative patients` characteristics were analyzed. Postoperative results including visual acuity and endothelial cell density and complications were evaluated. Best-corrected visual acuity improved 3, 12 and 24 months after DMEK (preoperative: 0.88 ± 0.47 logMAR, after 3 months: 0.52 ± 0.30 (p = 0.049), after 12 months: 0.60 ± 0.35 logMAR (p = 0.66), after 24 months: 0.60 ± 0.45 logMAR (p = 0.357)) compared to preoperatively. Endothelial cell density decreased 3 and 12 months after DMEK (preoperative: 2327 ± 242 cells/mm2, after 3 months: 1831 ± 384 cells/mm2 (p = 0.068), after 12 months: 1350 ± 996 cells/mm2 (p = 0.180)). Re-bubbling was performed in 55.6% of eyes after DMEK. One patient developed a postoperative macular edema, and another one a distant metastasis of the liver 20 years after last tumor treatment. Two-year-incidence of graft rejection was 0%, of graft failure 25.0% (95%KI -17.5%, 67.5%), of IOP-elevation 55.6% (95% KI 12.1%, 99.1%) and of post-DMEK glaucoma 16.7% (95%KI -13.1%, 46.5%). Our results confirm that DMEK surgery is feasible and improves the visual acuity in patients with local control of uveal melanoma after radiation therapy. However, the complications rate is high - including graft failure, postoperative IOP elevation and post-DMEK glaucoma - and complications of the radiation treatment limit the achievable visual acuity.
Maier et al. (Thu,) studied this question.