Clinical Outcome of Early Combined Vitreoretinal Surgery Using Temporary Keratoprosthesis Followed by Penetrating Keratoplasty in Severe Blast Injury Patients

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the clinical outcome of combined pars plana deep vitrectomy (PPV) with temporary keratoprosthesis and penetrating keratoplasty (PK) in severe military ocular trauma patients.Methods: During 12 months of follow-up, 13 eyes of 12 patients operated on from September 2017 to March 2018 were evaluated. Ocular history, visual acuity (VA), and clinical findings of the cornea and retina were recorded.Results: Twelve patients with severe military ocular trauma and light perception VA were included. At the end of the visit, 66.5% of the patients had better visual acuity; the cornea remained clear in 50%, and the retina was attached in 91.6% of the eyes. The rate of additional surgery was 25% of cases due to corneal graft failure.Conclusion: The long-term results of combined PPV with PK in eyes that would otherwise be untreatable due to severe injury are often limited by secondary graft failure. Although the clinical outcomes are not very satisfactory in the long term, the combined surgery gives these patients these patients the last chance to conserve their remaining vision and undergo anatomic reconstruction.

Clinical Outcome of Early Combined Vitreoretinal Surgery Using Temporary Keratoprosthesis Followed by Penetrating Keratoplasty in Severe Blast Injury Patients Keywords:

ocular trauma , Pars Plana Vitrectomy , Temporary keratoprosthesis , Penetrating Keratoplasty