High-risk patients almost 5x more likely to develop complications after penetrating keratoplasty

Patients undergoing penetrating keratoplasty (PK) who are considered high-risk for transplant are up to 4.65 times more likely to develop complications than patients with a good prognosis, according to a study.

In this retrospective analysis of corneal graft failure, data from 758 PK procedures, including indications of bullous keratopathy (20.58%), keratoconus (18.07%), and corneal perforation (13.32%) were analyzed.

Overall, 494 PK procedures were successful (72.43%).

The most frequent treatment complications were secondary glaucoma followed by late endothelial failure, perforation, and bacterial keratitis.

Concomitant ophthalmic diseases and connective tissue diseases were found to be significant factors associated with complications.

Reference
Szkodny D, Wróblewska-Czajka E, Wylęgała A, et al. Incidence of Complications Related to Corneal Graft in a Group of 758 Patients. J Clin Med. 2022;12(1):220. doi: 10.3390/jcm12010220. PMID: 36615021.