Endothelial cell survival on transplanted human corneas preserved at 4 C in 2.5% chondroitin sulfate for one to 13 days.

A comparison of transplantation of 37 corneas preserved in 2.5% chondroitin sulfate (K-Sol) at 4 C for one to 13 days (mean, 6.8 days) with those of 37 corneas preserved in McCarey-Kaufman medium at 40 C for one to 81 hours (mean, 39 hours) yielded the following results. The mean endothelial cell loss noted two months after keratoplasty was 6% in each group. The grafts preserved in K-Sol were significantly thinner two months postoperatively. Within the K-Sol group, there was a significant positive correlation between preservation time and both epithelialization time and corneal thickness three weeks after keratoplasty. There was also a significant positive correlation between preservation time and endothelial cell loss in both groups, with the highest cell losses (greater than or equal to 30%) all occurring after two days of storage in the McCarey-Kaufman group and after ten days of storage in the K-Sol group. These results appear to justify the use of chondroitin-sulfate-based preservation media to extend donor storage time; they also indicate that donor corneas should be used as early as feasible.