Preoperative metabolic analysis of donor corneas using magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Successful corneal transplantation was accomplished following metabolic phosphorus magnetic resonance analysis. Four cat corneas were analyzed using phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance following storage in modified McCarey-Kaufman (M-K) medium for 24 h. Corneas were re-stored in M-K medium and transplanted 24 h after MR analysis. Four control corneas (contralateral eye, no magnetic resonance analysis performed) were also transplanted following storage in M-K medium under identical conditions. Successful corneal transplantation was accomplished with minimal ATP tissue levels. Corneas stored for 48 h maintained a pH of 7.3. The phosphorus-31 spectral modulus, which is the ratio of the high-energy phosphates to the low-energy phosphates, was calculated using the spectral integral (range, 0.49-0.77). No difference in endothelial cell density or morphology was detected between corneas following magnetic resonance analysis and control corneas when evaluated by specular microscopy.