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Tissue utilization at the Minnesota Lions' Eye Bank
A L Moyes1, E J Holland, F E Palmon
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA.
Cornea
|November 1, 1995
Summary
This study reviewed cornea utilization, finding donor age over 75 and poor tissue quality were primary exclusion reasons. Reevaluating these criteria could increase available corneas for transplantation.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Transplantation Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Eye banks play a crucial role in providing corneas for transplantation.
- Optimizing cornea utilization is essential to meet the growing demand for sight-saving procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze cornea exclusion reasons at the Minnesota Lions' Eye Bank.
- To identify strategies for increasing the supply of transplantable corneas.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of 2,382 corneas evaluated between December 1992 and November 1993.
- Categorization of exclusion criteria including donor age, medical history, and tissue quality.
Main Results:
- Only 31% of procured corneas were suitable for transplantation; 67% were used for research/training.
- Major exclusion reasons included donor age (>75 years, 40%), medical history contraindications (24%), and poor tissue quality (24%).
- Specular microscopy abnormalities were the most common tissue quality issue, while low endothelial cell counts were infrequent reasons for rejection.
Conclusions:
- Current exclusion criteria, particularly donor age and certain tissue quality parameters, warrant reevaluation.
- Revising policies on epithelial defects and arcus senilis, and further investigating specular microscopy findings, may enhance cornea availability.
- Improving procurement timeliness and reassessing age and postsurgical exclusions are potential avenues for increasing transplantation rates.