Prognostic Factors Affecting Graft Survival in Patients Undergoing Penetrating Keratoplasty for Infectious Keratitis

To evaluate the prognostic factors affecting graft survival in patients undergoing penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) for infectious keratitis.

Patients who underwent PKP for keratitis in our hospital between 2013 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who underwent therapeutic PKP at the inflammatory stage and were followed for at least 12 months were included in the study. Age, gender, follow-up period, time between diagnosis and surgery, lens status, presence of limbal involvement, presence of corneal ulceration, perforation, or corneal abscess, type of microorganism detected in culture, number of fortified medications used before surgery and duration of use, preoperative and postoperative visual acuity, postoperative graft transparency, postoperative complications, recurrence of infection, rate of re-keratoplasty, and indication for and timing of re-keratoplasty were recorded. The relationship between these findings and anatomic, therapeutic, and functional success were evaluated.

Fifty-nine patients were included in the study; 40 (67.8%) were male and 19 (32.2%) were female, and the mean age was 59.78±19.46 (6-91) years. Anatomic success was achieved in 58 patients (98.3%). Therapeutic success was achieved in 47 patients (79.7%) and there was a significant relationship between therapeutic success and re-keratoplasty and early re-keratoplasty (p<0.001 for both). Thirty-two patients (54.2%) had functional success and there was a significant relationship between the absence of postoperative complications and functional success (p=0.014).

PKP is an effective treatment option in treatment-resistant keratitis or keratitis with impending perforation. The absence of postoperative complications and performing early re-keratoplasty in patients with recurrence increase the success rate.