Innovative Approaches to Butterfly Sutures in Penetrating Keratoplasty: A Quasi-experimental Study
Innovative Butterfly Suturing for Corneal Transplantation
Keywords:
Astigmatism, Butterfly sutures, Cornea, Penetrating keratoplasty, WoundAbstract
Background: Penetrating keratoplasty (PK) is a widely performed surgical procedure to treat various end-stage corneal diseases. The success of PK relies primarily on suturing techniques that secure the donor corneal button to the recipient’s eye. This research paper evaluates a novel method of corneal suturing in PK termed butterfly suturing. We have analyzed butterfly sutures in terms of their impact on wound healing and astigmatism, the two major factors influencing the outcome of a successful PK.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted at the tertiary level at the Sindh Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Hyderabad, Sindh. Five PK cases were selected for the study, where butterfly sutures were applied. Post-operative evaluations were carried out to assess astigmatism, graft-host healing and overall surgical success.
Results: Among the five cases that underwent PK with butterfly sutures, four demonstrated stable graft-host junctions with adequate healing. One case resulted in a disrupted graft-host interface, necessitating further intervention. Regarding post-operative refractive outcomes, our cases showed varying degrees of astigmatism.
Conclusion: The butterfly suture technique in PK is an innovative approach to improving surgical success. Its unique cross-over pattern provides improved wound stability and enhanced healing. Better wound dynamics should lead to a reduction of post-operative astigmatism. Most cases in our study showed favorable outcomes regarding healing, though a higher amount of astigmatism was noticed with butterfly sutures.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Shahzad Memon, Fariha Sher Wali, Bibi Rafeen Talpur, Asra Talpur, Shehnilla Shujaat, Abdul Adnan Majeed, Nazish Rizwan, Ahdi Hassan
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