Changes in donor corneal endothelium following penetrating keratoplasty

Objective:To study the variation of donor corneal endothelium following penetrating keratoplasty. Methods:Specular microscopy of donor corneal endothelium was performed on 43 patients (44 eyes) who underwent penetrating keratoplasty.The thickness of donor cornea and grafts were measured. Results:The loss rates of the corneal endothelium were 12 98%,22 23%,27 26% and 29 78% in postoperative 2～6 weeks,3～6 months,7～12 months and 1 5～2 years,respectively.The average cell area of graft increased from 445 13μm 2 of preoperation to 654 42μm 2 in 1 5～2 years postoperatively.The coefficient of variation (CV) of cell size increased from 43 24% to 64 76%.The hexagonality of donor corneal endothelium decreased from 45 26% to 27 18% after operation 1 5～2 years. Conclusions:After penetrating keratoplasty,the density of donor corneal endothelium would decrease gradually,the average cell area and CV increase and the hexagonality decrease.