Rejected human corneal grafts. II. Light and electron microscopic study.

Six rejected human corneal grafts out of a group of 40 'bad-risk corneas' were systematically studied by light and electron microscopy. Remarkable fine structural similarities in this sample of corneas were observed. Granulocytes, lymphocytes and plasma cells are common in all rejected grafts. Furthermore, the epithelial and endothelial linings and the stroma reveal the characteristic alterations. The observations indicate an immunological reaction of the recipient to the donor corneas.