Corneal transplantation following prolonged storage in M-K medium

A successful penetrating keratoplasty was performed on a 25-year-old keratoconus patient inadvertently using a 79-year-old donor cornea which had been stored for 32 days at 4 degrees C in M-K medium. A thin, clear graft ten months postoperatively suggested either recovery of the original donor endothelium or possible host endothelial cell migration. The clinical advantages of prolonged M-K storage beyond seven days versus the increased risks of endothelial decompensation and secondary infection are reviewed.