Outcomes of corneal transplantation in Europe: report by the European Cornea and Cell Transplantation Registry

Suryan L Dunker; W John Armitage; Margareta Armitage; Lucia Brocato; Francisco C Figueiredo; Martin B A Heemskerk; Jesper Hjortdal; Gary L A Jones; Cynthia Konijn; Rudy M M A Nuijts; Mats Lundström; Mor M Dickman

doi:10.1097/j.jcrs.0000000000000520

Outcomes of corneal transplantation in Europe: report by the European Cornea and Cell Transplantation Registry

J Cataract Refract Surg. 2021 Jun 1;47(6):780-785. doi: 10.1097/j.jcrs.0000000000000520.

Authors

Suryan L Dunker¹, W John Armitage, Margareta Armitage, Lucia Brocato, Francisco C Figueiredo, Martin B A Heemskerk, Jesper Hjortdal, Gary L A Jones, Cynthia Konijn, Rudy M M A Nuijts, Mats Lundström, Mor M Dickman

Affiliation

¹ From the University Eye Clinic, Maastricht University Medical Center+, The Netherlands (Dunker, Nuijts, Dickman); Translational Health Sciences, University of Bristol, UK (W.J. Armitage); Tissue and Eye Services, NHS Blood and Transplant, Bristol, UK (W.J. Armitage); European Eye Bank Association (EEBA), Venice, Italy (W.J. Armitage, Jones); Department of Ophthalmology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden (M. Armitage); European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS), Dublin, Ireland (Brocato, Lundström); Department of Ophthalmology, Royal Victoria Infirmary and Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (Figueiredo); Dutch Transplant Foundation, Leiden, The Netherlands (Heemskerk); Department of Ophthalmology, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark (Hjortdal); European Society of Cornea and Ocular Surface Disease Specialists (EuCornea), Dublin, Ireland (Hjortdal); The Veneto Eye Bank Foundation, Venice, Italy (Jones); Department of Clinical Sciences, Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden (Lundström).

PMID: 33278237
DOI: 10.1097/j.jcrs.0000000000000520

Abstract

Purpose: To analyze real-world graft survival and visual acuity outcomes of corneal transplantation in Europe.

Setting: Corneal clinics in 10 European Union member states, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.

Design: Multinational registry study.

Methods: All corneal transplant procedures registered in the European Cornea and Cell Transplantation Registry (ECCTR) were identified. Graft survival of primary corneal transplants were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves with log-rank test and Cox regression. Corrected distance visual acuities (CDVAs) are reported at baseline and 2 years postoperatively using the Lundström distribution matrix.

Results: A total of 12 913 corneal transplants were identified. Overall, 32-year graft survival of corneal transplants was high (89%) but differed between indications, ranging from 98% in keratoconus and 80% for trauma. Overall, CDVA improved postoperatively, but the risk for losing vision ranged from 7% (baseline vision ≤0.1 Snellen) to 58% (baseline vision ≥1.0 Snellen).

Conclusions: This report provides a comprehensive overview of graft survival and visual outcomes of corneal transplantation in Europe. In addition, it provides real-world estimates of outcomes for a variety of indications and surgical techniques to support benchmarking and demonstrates the relationship between baseline and postoperative vision.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Cell Transplantation
Cornea
Corneal Transplantation*
Europe / epidemiology
Graft Survival
Humans
Keratoconus* / surgery
Registries
United Kingdom