Rekha Gyanchand
BACKGROUND The donated corneas are very precious & the method of retrieval is very important to maintain the integrity of the donor cornea. Aim: To compare the enucleation & In-Situ (IS) technique of donor cornea retrieval. Does the retrieval technique have any bearing on the donor cornea tissue quality? MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, 100 donor eyeballs were retrieved by enucleation & 100 corneoscleral rim excisions done. The corneal epithelial integrity, Descemet membrane folds, corneal endothelial cells analysed. The transplantation rate, DTE & DTP considered. Study Type- Prospective Analysis. RESULTS The results were analysed in 2 groups depending on the type of retrieval- A & B. Each group was again subdivided into 1 & 2 depending upon time factor that is death to preservation of corneal tissue. ??? Group A: Enucleation group. Sub-Group: A1 retrieval within 8 hours: n=73%, A2 retrieval more than 8 hours: n=27% ??? Group B: In-situ group. Sub-Group: B1 retrieval within 8 hours: n=34%, B2 retrieval more than 8 hours: n=66% ??? Group A Mean Epithelial Defect (ED): 74.49%, Significant DM folds 67.12%. Mean endothelial cell density range 2968.85-2983.82 ??? Group B Mean ED: 47.25%. Significant DM folds 47.55%. Mean Endothelial cell density range: 2975.5-3222.5 ??? Utilization rates: Group A 67%, group B 98.49%. Corneas un-fit for use in Group A 2.5% and Group B 1.19%. CONCLUSION In-situ technique corneal tissue quality is superior to whole-globe enucleation retrieval.
