Histocompatibility matching in poor prognosis combined procedure keratoplasty.

To determine the effect of histocompatibility matching and mismatching at the rabbit leukocyte-locus A (RL-A locus) on graft survival in rabbits, we created a model to enhance graft failure. Rabbit corneas received alkali burns with consequent vascularization of the graft bed. Each rabbit underwent large (10-mm) penetrating keratoplasty and simultaneous lens extraction. Grafts in four of six corneas from the matched group remained transparent for the extent of the experiment; none of the grafts in the mismatched group were transparent at the end of the experiment.