Clinical Outcomes after Implantation of an Indigenous Version of Pintucci Keratoprosthesis

To report clinical outcomes after the implantation of an indigenous version of Pintucci keratoprosthesis in a patient suffering from severe ocular surface chemical burn.
Case Report: A 41 year-old man had bilateral severe acid burn 5 years before his recent presentation. He underwent penetrating keratoplasty and keratolimbal allografts OU which failed. Upon the presentation, visual acuity was light perception in both eyes. Slitlamp examination revealed severe dry eye, corneal opacities and conjunctivalization indicating total limbal stem cell deficiency OU. The left eye was considered for keratoprosthesis. The keratoprosthesis which was an indigenous version of Pintucci keratoprosthesis was manufactured in the Ophthalmic Research Center, affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran. In the first stage, ocular surface was reconstructed with oral mucus membrane graft, and keratoprosthsis was placed under the skin and orbicularis oculi muscle. Three months later, keratoprosthsis was removed and implanted in the left eye. Three months postoperatively, best corrected visual acuity was 2/10 and anatomical position was acceptable. No complications were encountered during the follow up.
The results of the first case implanted with the locally manufactured keratoprosthesis are acceptable and encourage us to implant this type of keratoprosthesis in patients with severe dry eye and total limbal stem cell deficiency.