[Etiology of irreversible transplant opacity in the first year after perforating keratoplasty]

The reasons for corneal graft failure during the first postoperative year were examined.

The functional and morphological parameters were recorded prospectively on 210 eyes with penetrating keratoplasty postoperatively after 1, 4 and 12 months.

1 month postoperatively one graft, 4 months after surgery 5 grafts, and 12 months after keratoplasty 15 grafts had failed. The reasons were: 3 cases of irreversible rejection, 4 retrocorneal membranes, 4 persisting corneal erosions with ulceration, and 4 stromal infections (3 Herpes, 1 Akanthamoeba). During the first postoperative year, in our patients corneal graft rejection was a rare event accounting for 3 of 15 graft failures with an incidence of 1.4% in all grafts studied.