Results with the Boston Type I keratoprosthesis after Acanthamoeba keratitis

Albert Santos; Luzia Diegues Silva; Luciene Barbosa de Sousa; Denise de Freitas; Lauro Augusto de Oliveira

doi:10.1016/j.ajoc.2017.01.007

Results with the Boston Type I keratoprosthesis after Acanthamoeba keratitis

Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep. 2017 Mar 14:6:71-73. doi: 10.1016/j.ajoc.2017.01.007. eCollection 2017 Jun.

Authors

Albert Santos¹, Luzia Diegues Silva¹, Luciene Barbosa de Sousa¹, Denise de Freitas¹, Lauro Augusto de Oliveira¹

Affiliation

¹ Cornea and External Diseases Service, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Paulista School of Medicina, São Paulo Hospital, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Abstract

Purpose: To report the outcomes of implantation of the Boston Type I keratoprosthesis in three patients with Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK), a severe infection that can lead to significant visual loss.

Observations: Case series reporting three patients with difficult cases of AK that needed multiple corneal transplantations and glaucoma surgeries. All patients were implanted with the Boston Type I keratoprosthesis device. The main outcomes measure were the visual function and anatomical retention after implantation of the Boston Type I keratoprosthesis. All patients retained the device over the long-term and had good visual function. In one patient a retroprosthetic membrane developed and in another patient an epithelial lip developed over the anterior surface of the keratoprosthesis. The visual acuities range from 20/25 to 20/80 in the implanted eyes.

Conclusions and importance: The Boston Type I keratoprosthesis resulted in good anatomic and functional results after multiple graft failures after AK.

Keywords: Acanthamoeba keratitis; Boston Type I keratoprosthesis; Corneal transplant; Glaucoma.

Publication types

Case Reports