Abstract
Penetrating keratoplasty was performed in 39 consecutive patients. A 16 bite 10–0 nylon continuous suture was used. Post-operatively, the suture was adjusted to reduce astigmatism, as determined by refraction, keratoscopy and keratometry. Suture adjustment was performed if astigmatism was over 4 dioptres (D). The suture was tightened in the flatter meridian and loosened in the steeper meridian. Twenty-one patients had suture adjustment performed. Prior to adjustment, mean (± standard deviation) astigmatism measured 6.33 ± 1.38 D. Following adjustment, mean astigmatism was significantly reduced to 2.69 ± 1.14 D (p<0.0001). The average final astigmatism for the entire group was 2.66 ± 1.12 D. The use of a continuous adjustable suture in penetrating keratoplasty significantly reduced the post-operative astigmatism in a group of patients undergoing penetrating keratoplasty.
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Hope-Ross, M., McDonnell, P., Corridan, P. et al. The management of post-keratoplasty astigmatism by post-operative adjustment of a single continuous suture. Eye 7, 625–628 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1993.144
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1993.144