Semiquantitative Criteria in the Eye Bank That Correlate with Cornea Guttata in Donor Corneas

Abstract

Abstract Background Cornea guttata may not be recognized in the eye bank and recent studies have displayed that guttae are transplanted in about 15% of cases in varying severities. The purpose of this study was to establish semiquantitative criteria for the detection of cornea guttata in donor corneas in the eye bank. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, preoperative endothelial pictures of donor corneas were collected and classified according to the post-penetrating keratoplasty cornea guttata grade into three distinct groups: group 1 consists of healthy corneas with no guttae (guttata grade 0); group 2 constitutes corneas with mild asymptomatic cornea guttata (guttata grade +); and group 3 comprises corneas with advanced widespread cornea guttata (guttata grade ++/+++/++++). The preoperative pictures of each group were then individually analyzed using the following five semiquantitative criteria: The number and the area of the cell-depleted surfaces, the presence of less than 50% of the cells having a hexagonal or a circular shape, the presence of cell membrane defects and interruptions, the presence of blebs in the cell membrane, and the presence of groups of cells with a distinct whitish color. Results In total, 262 patients were included in this study, with a total number of 1582 preoperative donor corneal endothelial pictures. Out of those pictures, groups 1, 2, and 3 encompassed 995 (62.9%), 411 (26.0%), and 176 (11.1%) pictures, respectively. Three out of the five eye bank criteria were found to correlate with postoperative cornea guttata with a highly significant p value of < 0.001. These three criteria are the presence of less than 50% of the cells having a hexagonal or a circular shape, the presence of cell membrane defects and interruptions and, the presence of blebs. The presence of groups of cells with a distinct whitish color was only a weak predictive factor for cornea guttata (p = 0.069). There was no statistically significant correlation between the number and the area of cell-depleted surfaces and postoperative cornea guttata with a p = 0.181. Conclusion Three semiquantitative criteria that can be detected in the eye bank using inverted light microscopy seem to correlate with postoperative cornea guttata: The presence of blebs, the presence of cell membrane defects and interruptions, as well as endothelial pictures with less than 50% of the cells having a hexagonal of circular shape. The presence of groups of cells with a distinct whitish color appears to be a weak predictor of cornea guttata.