Specular microscopic evaluation of donor corneal endothelium
M. Matsuda, R. W. Yee, D. B. Glasser, D. H. Geroski and H. F. Edelhauser
We performed wide-field specular microscopy and pachymetry on 92 donor
corneas to evaluate the changes occurring in the endothelium during moist
chamber storage of up to 48 hours. Endothelial changes were quantitated
with computer-assisted morphometry. The donor corneas were divided into two
groups: younger (mean age, 34 years) and older (mean age, 72 years). No
significant differences in endothelial cell density, coefficient of
variation in cell area (polymegethism), percentage of hexagonal cells
(pleomorphism), or central corneal thickness were noted between younger and
older donors when storage intervals were similar. Within each group, while
endothelial cell density remained constant, a marked increase in
polymegethism and pleomorphism developed when storage was prolonged beyond
12 hours. Corneal thickness also increased, but there was no correlation
between thickness and the extent of the endothelial changes. These results
suggest that specular microscopy is a more reliable method of screening
donor tissue than donor age or corneal thickness.
