METHOD FOR MAKING DESCEMET'S MEMBRANE TRANSPLANT FOR KERATOPLASTY Russian patent published in 2025 - IPC A61B17/00 A61F9/07 A61L27/00 

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: invention refers to medicine, namely to ophthalmology, for surgical management of primary and secondary corneal endothelial dystrophy, and concerns a method for making a Descemet's membrane graft for keratoplasty. Corneoscleral disk is fixed on the artificial anterior chamber; a corneal stroma is removed to the level of a Descemet's membrane or a pre-Descemet's layer; a Descemet's membrane graft is formed and preserved. What is used is an artificial anterior chamber comprising a supported base, a tissue retainer for corneoscleral disc fixation and a retainer ring. Base has a cavity for a preserving solution, and the fabric retainer has a reservoir for solutions of the enzyme and its inhibitor. Corneoscleral disk is fixed with its endothelium downwards on the artificial anterior chamber by means of a tissue fixative; a base cavity is filled with a preserving solution; a tissue fixative reservoir is filled with a metalloproteinase enzyme solution in amount of 1 to 10 ml, concentration of 250 to 1000 U/ml. Corneoscleral disc is kept in contact with a solution of metalloproteinase at temperature of 4 to 40 °C for 1-6 hours until corneal stroma dissolves to Descemet's membrane or pre-Descemet's layer. Total thickness of graft makes 10-60 mcm. Descemet's membrane graft is kept in contact with a solution of a metalloproteinase inhibitor alpha-2-macroglobulin – in amount 1 to 10 ml, concentration 10 to 20 mg/ml – at room temperature for 30 minutes to neutralize metalloproteinase. Prepared Descemet's membrane graft is adequately sized and shaped by means of a vacuum cutter and placed in a preserving solution.

EFFECT: using the invention enables reducing the number of graft endothelial cell injuries when separating Descemet's membrane and reducing a risk of graft loss due to rupture.

2 cl, 2 dwg