Evaluation of the Efficacy of Descemet Membrane Transplantation for the Treatment of Fuchs' Endothelial Dystrophy

Fuchs Endothelial Dystrophy (FED) is a degenerative disease affecting the corneal endothelium, characterized clinically by guttate excrescences on the posterior corneal surface and dysfunctional corneal endothelial cells. While patients are commonly asymptomatic in their early stages, advanced FED can be associated with significant corneal edema, scarring and impairment of visual function.

Patients with mild FED are usually managed conservatively with the application of topical hypertonic saline eyedrops. For patients with advanced FED, endothelial keratoplasty may often be necessary. In 2014, FED represented the most common indication for endothelial keratoplasty in the United States, accounting for 47.7% (13,817 cases) of all endothelial keratoplasty procedures performed nationwide. In Singapore, FED was the second most common indication for corneal transplantation.

Endothelial keratoplasty is associated with endothelial cell attrition in the range of 29.7% - 47% by the 3rd post-operative year. Additionally, the global demand for corneal graft material currently still far outstrips supply, critically limiting the number of patients who can potentially benefit from these surgical interventions. As such, there is a need explore alternative, sustainable strategies for the management of FED.

In 2009, Shah et al. reported the treatment of a 34 years old patient, with the combined pathologies of FED and Posterior Polymorphous Corneal Dystrophy (PPMD), by primary stripping of the central 4-5mm of Descemet's membrane without corneal graft transplantation ('Primary Descemetorhexis'). Contrary to conventional expectations, there was complete repopulation of the posterior corneal surface by corneal endothelial cells following the surgery, with best-corrected-visual-acuity (BCVA) of 6/7.5 achieved by the 6th post-operative month. In 2014, Moloney et al. published a similar report of a 54 years old patient, diagnosed with FED, successfully treated by Primary Descemetorhexis. Rapid endothelial recovery, as evidenced by a central endothelial cell count of 620 cells/mm2 and BCVA of 6/6, was achieved by approximately 6 weeks after the surgery. The success of these cases raised the prospect of Primary Descemetorhexis as a feasible alternative for the treatment of FED.

To gain a better understanding of the factors which may affect endothelial recovery following Primary Descemetorhexis, investigators performed an ex vivo human corneal endothelial cell culture experiment in which Primary Descemetorhexis was performed on cadaveric human cornea buttons, followed by ex vivo culture for a duration of 2 weeks to allow for endothelial recovery. A less invasive approach of denuding endothelial cells from the Descemet's membrane (DM), while maintaining anatomical integrity of the DM, was also assessed. The investigators found that advanced patient age and the absence of DM were significantly associated with slower endothelial recovery.

As such, the investigators hypothesized that the outcomes of Primary Descemetorhexis for the treatment of FED may be improved by DM transplantation following Primary Descemetorhexis ('DM Transplantation'). The main difference between the proposed technique of DM transplantation and conventional endothelial keratoplasty is that the DM transplant does not require the presence of a functional corneal endothelial monolayer on the graft. If successful, the greatest advantage of this approach would be to greatly expand the pool of donors who are eligible to provide cadaveric corneal graft tissue for transplantation.