title: Evaluation of internationally shipped prestripped donor tissue for descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty by vital dye staining.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to evaluate endothelial cell damage of internationally shipped prestripped donor tissue for Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) using vital dye staining.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six internationally shipped prestripped DMEK donors were stained with trypan blue and were subsequently photographed before they were cut with a trephine. Quantitative analysis assessment of endothelial damage of the donor graft area (8.0 mm in diameter) was performed using Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended software. Seven internationally shipped precut Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) donors were used as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No statistical differences were noted between prestripped DMEK donors and precut DSAEK donors in mean donor age (67.7 vs. 56.4 years, P = 0.222), mean donor endothelial cell density (2687.3 vs. 2894.6 cells, P = 0.353), and death-to-preservation time (405.3 vs. 558.4 minutes, P = 0.173). However, the mean time of death-to-experiment time in DMEK donors was significantly longer than that of DSAEK donors (8.7 vs. 6.6 days, P = 0.031). Mean endothelial cell damage of prestripped DMEK donors was as low as 0.3%. However, DMEK donor endothelial damage (0.3%) was significantly higher compared with that of precut DSAEK donor tissue (0.01%, P = 0.029).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although endothelial damage of internationally shipped prestripped donor tissue for DMEK was higher than that of precut DSAEK donor, it was extremely low. Further evaluation using another vital dye and clinical studies may be needed to confirm this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Noriaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokogawa
authors.forename: Natsuko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Toshinori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masaki
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002452:Cell Count; D004396:Coloring Agents; D055954:Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss / Q000175:diagnosis*; D057111:Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D038622:Internationality; D008875:Middle Aged; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D014019:Tissue Donors; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement; D014343:Trypan Blue
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D014343:Trypan Blue