A case of infectious crystalline keratopathy occurring long after penetrating keratoplasty.
OBJECTIVE
To report a 64-year-old woman's case of infectious crystalline keratopathy (ICK) that occurred 9 years after the penetrating keratoplasty (PKP).


METHODS
This study includes clinical history and histopathologic findings of the case.


RESULTS
As historic background, the patient underwent PKP for lattice dystrophy and later, persistent epithelial defect occurred on the graft. Topical steroid treatment and a therapeutic soft contact lens were applied; however, ICK developed and second PKP was performed. In the ICK region, yeasts were cultured and histologically, degenerated keratocytes containing yeast particles surrounded the intralamellar plaques of yeasts without accompanying inflammatory cells.


CONCLUSIONS
This case is possibly the first to develop ICK long after PKP. Histologically, ICK presumably occurred based on the immunologically incompetent condition, and, by verifying the previous reports, the neurotrophic background after PKP may partially be involved in the development of ICK.
Matsumoto
A
A
Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan.
Sano
Y
Y
Nishida
K
K
Yokoi
N
N
Hara
J
J
Kinoshita
S
S
D002175:Candida / Q000302:isolation & purification; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003317:Corneal Dystrophies, Hereditary / Q000601:surgery; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000382:microbiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015821:Eye Infections, Fungal / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015948:Keratoplasty, Penetrating / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012086:Reoperation