Posterior Migration of a Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Graft Associated With Macular Proliferative Changes

A 79-year-old male underwent descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) for bullous keratopathy. Intraoperatively, the intraocular lens (IOL) became unstable during graft manipulation, and the graft was lost from the anterior chamber. Postoperative examination failed to identify the graft. Two weeks later, optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed macular proliferative changes without hemorrhage or peripheral ischemia. Subsequent pars plana vitrectomy revealed the DMEK graft in the vitreous cavity, associated with fibrovascular proliferation. The graft was successfully removed. This case demonstrates a rare complication of DMEK and emphasizes the need for vigilance in eyes with compromised posterior capsule or zonules.

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Publication Details

Journal
Cureus
Published
2026-01-06
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.100897
Primary Topic
Corneal surgery and disorders
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Posterior Migration of a Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Graft Associated With Macular Proliferative Changes

Yorihisa Kitagawa, Toshiki Shimizu, Satoru Yamagami, Naoki Nezu et al.
Cureus
Corneal surgery and disorders
article

Posterior Migration of a Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Graft Associated With Macular Proliferative Changes

Yorihisa Kitagawa, Toshiki Shimizu, Satoru Yamagami, Naoki Nezu, Takahiko Hayashi
article en

Abstract

A 79-year-old male underwent descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) for bullous keratopathy. Intraoperatively, the intraocular lens (IOL) became unstable during graft manipulation, and the graft was lost from the anterior chamber. Postoperative examination failed to identify the graft. Two weeks later, optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed macular proliferative changes without hemorrhage or peripheral ischemia. Subsequent pars plana vitrectomy revealed the DMEK graft in the vitreous cavity, associated with fibrovascular proliferation. The graft was successfully removed. This case demonstrates a rare complication of DMEK and emphasizes the need for vigilance in eyes with compromised posterior capsule or zonules.

CureusVol. 18(1)
Nihon University (JP)
Openalex Percentile: Top 96%
Corneal surgery and disorders
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