Purpose: To evaluate long-term corneal graft survival and risk factors for graft failure after Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) in eyes with preexisting glaucoma.
Design: Retrospective case control study.
Participants: A total of 835 DSEK cases performed by a single surgeon between December 2003 and August 2007 were reviewed. Only the first treated eye of each patient with at least 1 year follow-up was included, resulting in 453 cases; 342 had no prior glaucoma (C), 65 had medically managed preexisting glaucoma (G), and 46 had prior glaucoma surgery (GS).
Methods: Corneal graft failure was defined as persistent corneal edema resulting in irreversible loss of optical clarity. Corneal graft survival in the 3 groups was calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Nine potential risk factors for graft failure were evaluated by Cox proportional hazards univariate and multivariate analysis. These methods took length of follow-up into consideration.
Main outcome measures: Corneal graft survival and risk factors influencing long-term corneal endothelial failure.
Results: The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year graft survival was 99%, 99%, 97%, 97%, and 96%, respectively, in group C; 100%, 98%, 98%, 96%, and 90%, respectively, in group G; and 96%, 91%, 84%, 69%, and 48%, respectively, in group GS (P < 0.001). In the GS group, the 5-year survival rate for eyes with a glaucoma drainage device (GDD) and those with trabeculectomy only was 25% and 59%, respectively. Indication for DSEK, surgically managed glaucoma, type and number of prior glaucoma surgeries, and occurrence of a rejection episode were the significant risk factors for graft survival in univariate analysis. Several factors were correlated; in a multivariate model, prior glaucoma surgery (P < 0.0001) and a prior rejection episode (0.0023) were the significant risk factors for corneal endothelial failure.
Conclusions: Patients with medically managed glaucoma had significantly better 5-year graft survival than those with surgically managed glaucoma. A prior glaucoma shunt or trabeculectomy significantly increased the risk of DSEK endothelial failure.
Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.