title: Changing indications for penetrating keratoplasty in Homburg/Saar from 2001 to 2010--histopathology of 1,200 corneal buttons.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the trends in indications for penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) in Homburg/Saar between 2001 and 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective review of 1,200 corneal buttons which underwent PKP that were performed between 2001 and 2010 at the Department of Ophthalmology of Saarland University Hospital, Germany. Indications were classified into eight different groups following histological analysis: keratoconus, Fuchs' dystrophy, bullous keratopathy, corneal scars, keratitis, regraft, corneal dystrophy other than Fuchs' dystrophy, and other diagnoses. Two different time periods (between 2001-2005 and between 2006-2010) were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Keratoconus (25.5 %) was the most common indication for PKP in our study, followed by Fuchs' dystrophy (21.2 %), bullous keratopathy (14.6 %), corneal scars (14.4 %), keratitis (13.0 %), regraft (7.0 %), non-Fuchs' dystrophies (2.1 %), and other diagnoses (2.3 %). Comparing the two different time periods, a trend of significantly increasing frequency of keratoconus and Fuchs' dystrophy, and a decreasing frequency of corneal scars, were found as indications for PKP in our study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Keratoconus was the leading indication for PKP in our series, and had a significantly increasing trend from 2001-2005 to 2006-2010. The percentage of patients with Fuchs' dystrophy increased, and became the second most common indication for PKP, while the number of PKPs for corneal scars decreased during the last 5 years in our institution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg/Saar, Germany. jiong_wang@live.com
authors.forename: Jiong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hasenfus
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schirra
authors.forename: Rainer M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Bohle
authors.forename: Berthold
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: Nóra
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Szentmáry
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D015948:Keratoplasty, Penetrating / Q000639:trends*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D055815:Young Adult