Background and objective: To present the clinical outcomes of the Neusidl Corneal Inserter (NCI) (Fischer Surgical, Imperial, MO), a new donor inserter for Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK).
Patients and methods: Six eyes of 6 Japanese patients (mean age = 74.0 years) with endothelial dysfunction were enrolled in this prospective, non-comparative study. All patients had a small cornea of 9.0 mm or less in diameter. A donor was inserted into the eye using NCI. Intraoperative and postoperative complications, postoperative donor endothelial cell densities (ECD), and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were evaluated.
Results: Donor loading onto NCI was successful in all cases. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were noted. All cases reached more than 20/63 BCVA within 12 months. Mean ECD was 2,441 cells/mm(2) (mean loss = 22.1%) at 6 months and 2,159 cells/mm(2) (mean loss = 31.0%) at 12 months.
Conclusion: Graft insertion with NCI is safe in DSAEK with low endothelial cell loss.
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