Alex Young , 2025-05-04 20:25:00
Key takeaways:
- Sulfur hexafluoride was linked with 13.6% greater endothelial cell loss after DMEK.
- SF6 lasts 5 to 7 days in the eye, while air lasts only 2 to 3 days.
SALT LAKE CITY — The use of sulfur hexafluoride was a predictor for greater endothelial cell loss after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty, but the benefits may outweigh the risks, according to researchers.
Jules Leterrier, who presented the study at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting, told Healio his center used only air for graft tamponade for years and switched to sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) in 2015.
“We have both data available,” he said. “We compared that and found that SF6 could, in fact, affect [endothelial cell loss].”
Leterrier and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study at Metz-Thionville Regional Hospital in France from October 2015 to April 2023 to explore what factors influenced 12-month endothelial cell density in uncomplicated DMEK. The study comprised 137 eyes.
The analysis included factors like age, axial length, operative time and more. The researchers found that the use of SF6 was associated with 12-month endothelial cell loss (P < .0001), increasing loss by 13.6%.
However, “SF6 can last 5 to 7 days in the eye, while air alone is 2 to 3 days tops,” Leterrier said. “We are experiencing a little bit of a dilemma.”
SF6 use in DMEK reduces graft detachment and rebubbling, which itself was associated with higher endothelial cell loss, he said.
“In practice, we won’t change our way of doing things,” he said. “We will keep using SF6 because it’s way more convenient, but we think that it should be explored in other studies to come because this is the first study to find such a link with SF6.”
Sources/Disclosures
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Leterrier J, et al. Preoperative and perioperative factors that predict endothelial cell loss 1 year after uncomplicated Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). Presented at: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting; May 4-8, 2025; Salt Lake City.
Disclosures:
Leterrier reports no relevant financial disclosures.
