The development of technologies in endothelial keratoplasty (review)

Objective: to analyze the technologies of endothelial keratoplasty (EK), evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each method, including Pre-Descemet's endothelial keratoplasty (PDEK) in the treatment of such corneal diseases. The literature review analyzes published data on modern methods of EK. PubMed database was used to search for articles. A total of 50 literature sources that were published between 1956 and 2020 were cited. Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) are popular treatment methods for patients with corneal endothelial pathology, but have a number of drawbacks, such as: low visual acuity due to induced ametropia (DSAEK), donor age limitation and difficulty in manipulating the isolated Descemet's membrane (DMEK). Given the above disadvantages of DSAEK and DMEK methods, the search for alternative surgical techniques is relevant. One of the most recent methods of tissue transplantation for patients, allowing to avoid the above mentioned drawbacks, is PD.