title: The role of penetrating keratoplasty in the management of microbial keratitis.
abstract: Penetrating keratoplasty was performed as an emergency procedure in 52 eyes which had perforated from acute microbial keratitis and in a further 11 where perforation had not yet occurred. The results are compared with those of keratoplasty in 33 non-infected perforations and 20 eyes where there had been microbial keratitis which had responded to medical therapy leaving a scarred cornea. This latter group had both a better five year survival (90%) compared to all the others (51%), p less than 0.05, and achieved significantly better visual acuities, p less than 0.005.
authors.affiliation: Pocklington Transplantation Unit & Corneal Clinic, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Kirkness
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Ficker
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Steele
authors.forename: N S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007634:Keratitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015948:Keratoplasty, Penetrating; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014792:Visual Acuity