The castroviejo square graft: wound healing after 51 years.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the histopathologic characteristics of a 51-year-old Castroviejo square graft that remained functional for more than 50 years and to describe the wound-healing characteristics over this period of time.


METHODS
An 80-year-old woman with a history of keratoconus underwent penetrating keratoplasty with square grafts in 1956 and 1957 in the right and left eyes, respectively. The graft from the right eye was replaced in 2007, and the corneal specimen was submitted for histopathologic analysis.


RESULTS
Light microscopy demonstrated a smooth transition between host and donor stroma. Descemet's membrane was markedly thickened (>40 m) and laminated, and a very thin retrocorneal membrane was visible at high magnification.


CONCLUSIONS
This case provides an opportunity to observe the histopathology of corneal wound healing over a period of more than half a century.
Graue-Hernández
Enrique O
EO
Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95817, USA.
Harocopos
George
G
Bradley
Jay C
JC
Smith
Morton E
ME
Mannis
Mark J
MJ
D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000473:pathology; D003886:Descemet Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007640:Keratoconus / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D015948:Keratoplasty, Penetrating / Q000379:methods*; D012086:Reoperation; D013997:Time Factors; D014945:Wound Healing