Precut technique for lamellar cornea grafts
An fs-laser microkeratome will allow cleanroom preparation of planoparallel and very thin keratoplasty before surgery. This promising method for tissue banks will be presented on 6th of June at the World Ophthalmology Congress 2010 in Berlin.
(firmenpresse) - In Germany alone, eight thousand people need a cornea-transplantation per year. The tissue banks are not able to satisfy this high demand for donor tissues. Many patients with affection of the corneal endothe¬lium, hence threatened by reduced vision or even blindness, have to wait several months until help is possible.
Within an ongoing project cooperation between the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gewebetransplanta¬tion (DGFG) and the Rowiak GmbH, ophthalmologists from Hannover Medical School test a new pre-operative method that serves to create a lamella from the poste¬rior layer of a donor cornea with an exact geometrical shape. Afterwards, the remaining donor cornea is still available in the tissue banks for a second graft.
Until now, there are mainly two grafting-techniques for posterior cornea lamellae: the so called DSAEK (Descemet Stripping Automated Keratoplasty) and DMEK (Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty). In DSAEK, corneal layers of 100 to 150 micrometer thickness are generated by using a mechanical microkeratome during surgery. During this process, abberations in thickness and confi¬gu¬ration of the lamella cannot be avoided. Therefore, post-operative changes of refraction and detachement of the foreign tissue are possible.
In contrast, the physicians in Hannover focus on the use of a laser microkeratome. They cut the donor cornea in a laboratory environment under cleanroom conditions. According to Dr. Lutz Blomberg, head of the Cornea Bank Hannover, the advantages are enormous: “With this precut-procedure, we win a much higher certainty of creating a really good graft. We are able to determine the exact cutting depth and we have the possibility of quality inspection after lamellation”, explains the Ophthalmologist. Furthermore, the cleanroom conditions guarantee aseptic grafts, which can be produced by tissue banks themselves and be sent to the surgery teams without any loss in quality.
This innovative operation technique is enabled by a new microkeratome based on femtosecond laser technology. The “CorneaSurgeon”, developed by co-operation partner Rowiak GmbH, allows a very precise cutting depth of less than 100 micrometers with an aberrance of 5 micrometers. Assisted by integrated imaging in terms of OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography), a real-time quality control within the cutting process is conducted. Thus, optimally adapted layer geometries for the patient can be generated.
The requirement to use this method in clinical practice will be fulfilled by completion of the cleanroom at the end of this year.
The newest results of the Hannover cornea project will be presented by Dr. Lutz Blomberg on the 6th of June during the World Ophthalmology Congress (speech No. SU-75-07). At the pavilion of DGFG (hall 12, booth A/17), there will be the chance to detailed information about the “CorneaSurgeon” during the congress (4 - 8 June 2010). According to Rowiak, the market launch of the microkeratome will be in 2011.
The co-operation between DGFG and Rowiak is funded by the foundation “Zukunfts- und Innovationsfonds Niedersachsen”.
Contact to co-operation partners:
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gewebetransplantation gGmbH
Martin Börgel
Feodor-Lynen-Str. 21
30625 Hannover
phone: +49 (511) 0511 563 559-30
fax: +49 (511) 563 559-55
E-Mail: info(at)gewebenetzwerk.de
Scientific Manager:
Tissue Bank Hannover
Hannover Medical School
Dr. Lutz Blomberg
Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1
30625 Hannover
phone:+49 (511) 532 – 3800
fax: +49 (511) 532 – 3050
E-Mail: LJBlomberg(at)aol.com
Themen in dieser Pressemitteilung:
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Rowiak GmbH designs and manufactures innovative opto-electronical products based on femtosecond laser technology. The product range includes devices for non-contact cutting of biological tissue and various materials as well as instruments for precise non-invasive manipulation of cells and cell structures.
Rowiak GmbH
Dr. Fabian Will
Garbsener Landstr. 10
30419 Hannover
phone: 0511 / 277 29 53
fax: 0511 / 277 29 59
mail: fw(at)rowiak.de
ACHILLES Kommunikation
Anja Nieselt-Achilles
Reinhäuser Str. 16
37130 Gleichen
phone/fax: +49 551/293 44 20
mobile: +49 151/5920 58 52
mail: achilles-kommunikation(at)online.de
Datum: 26.05.2010 - 15:38 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 1015319
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contact information:
Contact person: Anja Nieselt-Achilles
Town:
Hannover
Phone: +49 551/2934420
Kategorie:
Healthcare & Medical
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