Long-Term Outcomes of High-Risk Keratoplasty in Patients Receiving Systemic Immunosuppression

Immunological graft rejection after corneal transplantation remains the leading cause of graft failure. Systemic immunosuppression is used for keratoplasty at a high risk of rejection to improve graft survival. We examined the long-term outcomes of high-risk corneal grafts in patients receiving systemic immunosuppression.

Thirty-five corneal transplants with a high risk of rejection were identified from 29 patients within a regional immunosuppression service in the United Kingdom. Definition of keratoplasty at "high risk" of rejection included one or more of the following: a history of ipsilateral graft rejection and/or failure, 2 or more quadrants of stromal vascularization, perforation or ocular inflammation at the time of surgery, presence of atopy, and a large-diameter (≥9 mm) graft. Median follow-up duration was 5 years after transplantation.

Graft survival at 5 years in patients receiving systemic immunosuppression was 73.5%. Rejection episodes occurred in 14 grafts (40%); these episodes were reversible in 10 grafts (71%). Indications for transplantation were mostly visual (n = 19; 54%) and tectonic (n = 14; 40%). Eighteen grafts (51%) had 2 or more high-risk characteristics. Most patients (n = 20; 69%) received monotherapy, commonly with tacrolimus (n = 15; 52%) or mycophenolate mofetil (n = 8; 28%). Three patients (10%) experienced severe systemic side effects. Median "day-to-day" logMAR visual acuity was 0.5 in grafts for all indications and 0.2 for visual indications.

Systemic immunosuppression in patients with high-risk keratoplasty seems to improve graft survival with a median follow-up duration of 5 years and is tolerated by most patients. Despite rejection episodes occurring in 40% of grafts, these were mostly reversible.