Long-Term Outcomes of Big Bubble Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty in Mucopolysaccharidoses: A Retrospective Case Series and Review of the Literature

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to report the long-term surgical and visual outcomes of patients with mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) after big bubble deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (BB-DALK). Methods: This was a retrospective case series of patients with MPS who underwent BB-DALK at a single academic institution. All patients had corneal clouding secondary to MPS limiting visual acuity for which keratoplasty was indicated. Each patient was evaluated and underwent surgery by a single surgeon. Reported data included age at keratoplasty, sex, MPS type, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity, change in pachymetry, ocular comorbidities, surgical complications, and MPS-related medication use. Results: Outcomes of 12 eyes from 7 patients with MPS type I (Hurler, Scheie, and Hurler-Scheie) are reported using the newest nomenclature. The mean follow-up was 5.58 years (range: 1-10 years). All cases underwent BB-DALK with a type 1 big bubble during the surgery. Two cases (16.6%) required rebubbling because of partial Descemet membrane detachment. One case was complicated by a suture abscess and required a penetrating keratoplasty. No episodes of rejection occurred. Statistically significant improvement in the best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (from a mean 0.85-0.33 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution, P = logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution 0.0054) and pachymetry (mean reduction of -145.4 mu m, P = 0.0018) was observed. Conclusions: BB-DALK seems to be an acceptable long-term surgical option in patients with MPS. Our findings suggest that this technique is reproducible and can achieve clear corneal grafts with good visual results on a long-term follow-up.