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Eye Bank Records on Pediatric Keratoplasty
Seyed Mohamadmehdi Moshtaghion1, Mohammad Abolhosseini1, Bahareh Kheiri2
1Ocular Tissue Engineering Research Center, Research Institute for Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
Pediatric keratoplasty in Iran was most often for keratoconus. While penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) dominated, its use declined, with newer techniques like DSAEK showing an upward trend.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Corneal Surgery
- Pediatric Eye Care
Background:
- Pediatric keratoplasty data from Iran is limited.
- Understanding trends in indications and surgical techniques is crucial for improving outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze eye bank records for pediatric keratoplasty in Iran from 2006 to 2019.
- To identify trends in indications, surgical methods, and graft clarity.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 2178 pediatric keratoplasty cases from the Central Eye Bank of Iran (2006-2019).
- Evaluation of indications, surgical techniques (PKP, DALK, DSAEK, etc.), and graft clarity.
Main Results:
- Acquired nontraumatic diseases (75.8%), primarily keratoconus, were the leading indications.
- Penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) was the most common procedure (90.9%), but showed a descending trend.
- Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) usage increased significantly over time.
Conclusions:
- Keratoconus is the primary indication for pediatric keratoplasty in Iran.
- While PKP remains prevalent, its use is decreasing, with a notable rise in DSAEK procedures.
- High graft clarity (96.8%) was achieved post-transplantation.
Purpose:
To report eye bank records for pediatric keratoplasty in Iran between 2006 and 2019.
Methods:
In a retrospective study, all electronic records of the Central Eye Bank of Iran for pediatric keratoplasty between April 2006 and March 2019 were analyzed in terms of indications for keratoplasty, surgical techniques, their corresponding trends, and post-transplantation graft clarity.
Results:
Our database included 2178 eyes from 2050 pediatric cases. The leading indications for keratoplasty included acquired nontraumatic diseases (75.8%), congenital abnormalities (12.7%), corneal regraft (8.3%), and acquired traumatic diseases (3.2%). Keratoconus was the most common acquired nontraumatic cause (58%) and more common in the age group 12 years than those 12 years (P 0.001). Congenital corneal abnormalities and regrafts were more common in the age group 12 years (both P 0.001). The most common surgical technique was penetrating keratoplasty (PKP, 90.9%) followed by deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK, 7.3%), Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK, 1.1%), anterior lamellar keratoplasty (0.5%), and keratolimbal allograft transplantation (0.2%). DSAEK was more common in the age group 12 years (P = 0.002), which, unlike PKP and DALK, showed a significant ascending trend over the 14-year period (P = 0.018). Post-transplantation graft clarity was 96.8%.
Conclusion:
Keratoconus was the leading indication for pediatric keratoplasty in Iran. Although PKP was the predominant keratoplasty procedure for the treatment of pediatric corneal disorders, it showed a significant descending trend over the 14 years.
