title: Endothelial Cell Count in Eye Bank Corneal Grafts: Impact of Death Cause and Donor Diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of death causes and documented donor diseases on initial endothelial cell counts (after retrieval) and the development of corneal graft endothelia during organ culture.
  
  
  METHODS
  The retrospective statistic analyses was conducted on a data set of 10,185 human corneas prepared at the Hamburg Eye Bank.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although we observed that death by gunshot trauma or alcoholism seems to be associated with marginally higher endothelium cell counts (independently from donor age), we could prove that only donor age is a relevant predictive parameter for the initial cell-density of the endothelium and its development in vitro.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that an extension of prospective quality parameters for donor selection additional to donor age (such as individual causes of death) is not necessary.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Ophthalmology , University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf , Hamburg , Germany.
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Filev
authors.affiliation: b Department of Forensic Medicine , University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf , Hamburg , Germany.
authors.forename: Olaf J C
authors.initials: OJC
authors.lastname: Hellwinkel
authors.affiliation: c Asklepios Eye Clinic , Hamburg , Germany.
authors.forename: Mau-Thek
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Eddy
authors.affiliation: a Department of Ophthalmology , University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf , Hamburg , Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Linke
authors.affiliation: b Department of Forensic Medicine , University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf , Hamburg , Germany.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wulff
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D002452:Cell Count; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D046148:Donor Selection / Q000379:methods*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000166:cytology*; D005125:Eye Banks / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014019:Tissue Donors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Corneal; donor; endothelium; eye bank; graft