title: Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty using corneas from elderly donors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the outcomes of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) using corneas from elderly donors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 90 eyes that underwent DSAEK at Juntendo University Hospital between January 2008 and December 2012 were divided into two groups. Group 1 was eyes that received corneas from elderly donors aged 80 years or older (29 eyes), and group 2 was eyes that received corneas from donors aged 79 years or younger (61 eyes). Patient characteristics and visual acuity, endothelial cell density, and postoperative complications at 2 years after surgery were examined retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the donors was 86.3 ± 28.9 years (range, 80-98 years) in group 1 and 62.1 ± 23.2 years (range, 26-79 years) in group 2. At 2 years after surgery, median logMAR visual acuity was 0.48 ± 0.38 in group 1 and 0.42 ± 0.47 in group 2, while the median loss of endothelial cell density was 38.9 ± 22.5 % and 39.7 ± 23.8 %, respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups for all the parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of endothelial cell loss at 2 years after surgery was similar regardless of donor age (≥80 years vs ≤79 years). It seems reasonable to use corneas from donors aged 80 years or older for DSAEK provided the selection criteria are fulfilled.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-1-3 Hongo Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 113-8431. satoru-n@juntendo.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakatani
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, 3-1-3 Hongo Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 113-8431.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murakami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002452:Cell Count; D003315:Cornea; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D055954:Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss / Q000175:diagnosis; D057111:Descemet Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty; D046148:Donor Selection; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D005125:Eye Banks; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014019:Tissue Donors; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Bullous keratopathy; Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty; Donor age; Elderly donor; Endothelial cell density