Infectious keratitis leads in postoperative complications for children with penetrating keratoplasty

Infectious keratitis is the most common postoperative complication in children undergoing penetrating keratoplasty (PK), with anterior segment complications overall being more frequent than posterior segment issues, according to a study.

A recent retrospective cohort study analyzed data from the Intelligent Research in Sight (IRIS) Registry on pediatric patients who underwent primary PK.

Out of 544 patients, nearly 48% experienced complications. Anterior segment issues were notably more prevalent (40.8%) than posterior segment problems (17.6%). Infectious keratitis emerged as the most frequent anterior complication, affecting 30% of patients with a median onset of 275 days post-surgery. Among posterior complications, vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment were the most common.

Reference
Zhang LJ, Dana R, Lorch AC, et al; IRIS Registry Analytic Center Consortium. Complications After Pediatric Penetrating Keratoplasty: An IRIS Registry Study. Cornea. 2024;doi: 10.1097/ICO.0000000000003656. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39137435.