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Several factors determine rate of corneal endothelium cell survival after PK
Eur J Ophthalmol. 2009;19(6):930-935.
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Risk factors including preoperative glaucoma and postoperative glaucoma medication, as well as type of disease, helped determine the survival rate for corneal endothelium cells after penetrating keratoplasty, a study found.
"For the eyes with bullous keratopathy and herpetic keratitis with uveitis, the survival rate of the endothelium was lower than that for the eyes with keratoconus," the study authors said. "We should carefully manage patients who have risk factors such as graft rejection, peripheral corneal disease and perioperative glaucoma to minimize the loss of corneal endothelium and to reduce graft failure after penetrating keratoplasty."
The retrospective review examined medical records of 83 eyes of 83 patients who underwent PK. At 1 month postop, patients who had corneal endothelial cell density more than 2,000 cells/mm² were divided into three groups: keratoconus, bullous keratopathy or herpetic keratitis with uveitis.
The study found that corneal endothelium cell loss was significantly higher in the bullous keratopathy and herpetic keratitis with uveitis groups than the keratoconus group at 2 years postop. In addition, multiple risk factors had statistically significant differences in cell loss rate.