RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL OF OCT-GUIDED LASER-ASSISTED LAMELLAR ANTERIOR KERATOPLASTY IN ADULTS FOR KERATOCONUS

Corneal transplantation (keratoplasty) is the most common organ transplant, with 42,606 procedures in the U.S. in 2009. Many surgeons are moving away from full thickness corneal transplantation, also called penetrating keratoplasty (PK), because of risks involving rejection, irregular astigmatism and wound dehiscence. They are moving towards partial thickness (lamellar) transplantations of either the anterior or posterior (endothelial) layers, which can reduce these risks.

The femtosecond laser has been used to create excellent tongue-in-groove junctions between the graft and host in full thickness PK.1 This technique, called IEK (Intralase-enabled keratoplasty), has now become a standard surgical procedure. The tongue-in-groove junction achieved at the circumferential edge of the graft and host leads to a continuous smooth anterior surface and strong wound healing.

The new technique is called dovetail LALAK. In this technique, the femtosecond laser is used to create a 31% anterior lamellar graft with dove tailed side cuts. It is also used to create a shallow anterior lamellar dissection and beveled side cuts on the recipient cornea to match with the dovetail graft.

In the new technique, the depth of the graft and donor dissections will be guided by OCT measurements. The proposed trial will test if the new technique can reproducibly achieve good visual outcomes without the risk of rejection. The outcome of the LALAK procedure will be compared to that of IEK.