Peripheral recipient endothelium following corneal transplantation.

The central graft endothelium and peripheral recipient endothelium of 16 corneas of 14 patients following corneal transplantation were studied using the technique of specular microscopy. There was a wide discrepancy in the morphologic profile between the endothelium from these two regions of the cornea, suggesting that both donor and recipient endothelium maintain their morphologic autonomy following corneal transplantation. There was evidence that graft endothelium may be more active participant in the healing process at the graft-recipient junction than the recipient endothelium.