Morphological changes in corneal endothelial cells after penetrating keratoplasty.

Fifteen patients who had had a successful penetrating keratoplasty were photographed with the clinical specular microscope and the resulting endothelial photomicrographs were analyzed. The average endothelial cell area was one to six times larger and the average endothelial cell perimeter was one to 2 1/2 times larger than that of a normal cornea of a subject the same age as the donor. In each corneal graft, endothelial cell areas and perimeters clustered tightly around a mean value, although the mean value for different corneas varied significantly. The thickness and transparency of each graft was normal, indicating that within the observed limits the success of the transplantation procedure did not depend on final endothelial cell size or perimeter.