glanatec and Corneal-Diseases

Ripasudil, a rho-kinase inhibitor, has gained popularity as an adjunctive therapy after Descemet stripping only to hasten visual recovery. Ripasudil has been shown to increase corneal endothelial cell proliferation and intercellular adhesion, and decrease endothelial cell apoptosis. We present 4 cases in which persistent corneal edema after various anterior segment surgeries was successfully treated with topical ripasudil, and 1 case in which corneal edema did not improve with use of ripasudil.. Retrospective chart review revealed 5 patients treated with topical ripasudil for persistent corneal edema that failed to improve with conventional, nonsurgical treatments.. In each case, the patient had symptomatic, persistent, focal corneal edema which followed a surgical procedure in the anterior segment. The various etiologies of corneal edema included graft failure after Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty, a failed penetrating keratoplasty, and 3 cases of pseudophakic corneal edema. These patients experienced improved vision and partial or complete resolution of corneal edema after 2 to 4 weeks of topical ripasudil administered 4 times daily. One patient with pseudophakic bullous keratopathy had edema that initially improved on topical ripasudil, but after cessation of the medication, developed progressive corneal edema and required endothelial keratoplasty.. In patients with focal corneal edema resulting from surgical trauma to the endothelium who failed to clear over time with conservative measures, topical ripasudil was shown to be an effective treatment option that in most cases improved vision and helped reduce the need for endothelial transplantation.

Topics: Corneal Diseases; Corneal Edema; Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty; Endothelium, Corneal; Humans; Retrospective Studies; Visual Acuity

A male in his 50s, who had undergone Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) for corneal oedema following irido-corneal-endothelial syndrome and glaucoma drainage device surgery for secondary glaucoma presented with gradual decreased vision. The patient was on ripasudil 0.4% for the past 4 months prior to the presentation. Honeycomb epithelial oedema was seen with vesicles and intraepithelial microcyst formation which were also noted on anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) and histopathology, that co-related with the slit-lamp findings. The patient underwent repeat DSAEK and had a good outcome. While the clinical features and OCT findings have been reported earlier, the histopathological features have not been reported.

Topics: Corneal Diseases; Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty; Edema; Endothelium, Corneal; Humans; Isoquinolines; Male; Middle Aged; Sulfonamides; Tomography, Optical Coherence