To determine the safety and graft quality of eye bank precut and preloaded grafts for Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) after storage and shipping in a novel preloaded transport cartridge compared to precut grafts in a conventional viewing chamber. In this laboratory proof-of-concept study, 29 human donor corneas that were unsuitable for transplantation with a mean endothelial cell density of 1948 ± 260 cells/mm² were prepared using liquid bubble technique for producing precut lamellar grafts. The grafts were either preloaded into novel transport cartridge (n = 16) or transferred into conventional Krolman viewing chamber (control, n = 13). Grafts were stored for 24 or 48 h in dextran-containing medium at room temperature and subjected to a shipping simulation. Endothelial cell loss (ECL) and morphology were determined at different steps. Endothelial cell viability staining was performed with calcein dye. Mean ECL in the preloaded transport cartridge was 0.7% ± 1.2% after 24 h and 3.4% ± 1.2% (p = 0.006) after 48 h storage and injection. In the control group the ECL was mean 1.6% ± 2.7% after 24 h compared to 3.7% ± 0.9% (p = 0.042) after 48 h. The slightly higher endothelial cell loss in the viewing chamber group after 48 h was not statistically significant compared to the preloaded transport cartridge (p = 0.8). Calcein staining was comparably low in all groups and correlated with the low ECL in both groups. DMEK grafts can be preloaded into a novel transport cartridge using a "no touch" technique, stored and shipped for up to 2 days in dextran-containing medium without significant ECL.

中文翻译：

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新型预装运输盒中用于后弹力层内皮角膜移植术 (DMEK) 的预装移植物与传统预切移植物的比较。

与传统观察室中的预切割移植物相比，确定用于后弹力层内皮角膜移植术 (DMEK) 的眼库预切割和预装载移植物在新型预装载运输盒中储存和运输后的安全性和移植物质量。在这项实验室概念验证研究中，使用液泡技术制备了 29 个不适合移植的平均内皮细胞密度为 1948 ± 260 个细胞/mm 2 的人类供体角膜，用于生产预切板层移植物^。移植物要么预装到新型运输盒中（n = 16），要么转移到传统的 Krolman 观察室中（对照，n = 13）。将移植物在室温下在含葡聚糖的培养基中储存24或48小时，并进行运输模拟。在不同步骤测定内皮细胞损失（ECL）和形态。用钙黄绿素染料进行内皮细胞活力染色。预装运输盒中的平均 ECL 在 24 小时后为 0.7% ± 1.2%，在 48 小时储存和注射后为 3.4% ± 1.2% ( p  = 0.006)。在对照组中，24 小时后 ECL 平均为 1.6% ± 2.7%，而 48 小时后为 3.7% ± 0.9% ( p  = 0.042)。48 小时后观察室组中内皮细胞损失略高，与预装运输盒相比并不具有统计学意义 ( p  = 0.8)。所有组中的钙黄绿素染色都相对较低，并且与两组中的低 ECL 相关。DMEK 移植物可以使用“非接触”技术预装入新型运输盒中，在含葡聚糖的培养基中储存和运输长达 2 天，无需明显的 ECL。