Follow-up study of human corneal endothelial cells, photographed in vivo before enucleation and 20 years later in grafts.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the long-term (20-year) survival of transplanted human corneal endothelial cells.


METHODS
The donor endothelium had been photographed 20 years ago with a specular microscope both before enucleation in the melanomatous eye and in situ after keratoplasty. The same donor endothelial cells were now photographed again 20 years later with a modern specular microscope to ascertain the morphology and cell density of the grafts.


RESULTS
In the earlier study the mean postoperative endothelial cell density was 1357+/-543 cells/mm2, the average cell loss 11 months postoperatively being 48.2%; 20.5 years postoperatively the cell loss was 62.9% of the preoperative cell count. In our well-documented patient population the endothelial cell loss during the last 19 years had been only 14.7%, which amounts to a cell loss of less than 1% per year.


CONCLUSIONS
In transplanted corneas, the main endothelial cell loss seems to take place during the first 1-2 postoperative years.
Helsinki University Eye Clinic, Finland.
K
K
Vasara
K
K
Setälä
P
P
Ruusuvaara
D002452:Cell Count; D002830:Choroid Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D016039:Corneal Transplantation / Q000473:pathology; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology* / Q000637:transplantation; D015353:Eye Enucleation; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000601:surgery; D010784:Photomicrography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014741:Video Recording