EEBA Program (PDF/3MB) - EEBA - Annual Meeting

PREDICTION OF CORNEAL GRAFT FAILURE DUE TO PREOPERATIVE MEASURMENT OF VEGFIN RECIPIENT CORNEAS. Sekelj¹, T. Balog², I. Mahovne¹, E. Kondza Krstonijevic³, Z. Janjetovic¹, Z. Vukovic Arar¹, I. Dekaris 4¹General Hospital DR J. Bencevic; ²Institute Ruder Bošković; ³Health center Zagreb East; 4Special Eye Hospital Svjetlost,Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine in Rijeka, University of Rijeka, CroatiaPurpose: To estimate the probability of corneal graft reaction (or failure) due to preoperativemeasurment of vascular endothelial growth facto (VEGF)r in recipient cornea..Methods: Twentyfive patients were operated form October 2006 till March 2007 for penetratingkeratoplasty. Recipient corneal button were examined for the presence and quantity of VEGF usingELISA (R&D System, USA). All the patients were postoperatively treated with topical steroid treatment.Patients were followed up for 3 years. Control group for evaluation od value of VEGF in cornea werecadaver’s corneas.Results: All rejection episodes and most graft failures occurred during the first postoperative year.Eight grafts showed one of the signs of graft rejection in a first six months after surgery, some withreversible effect after enhanced steroid treatment. All 6 grafts which were finally rejected, despite thefortified treatment, had significantly higher amount of VEGF in their corneas at time of the surgery(mean 354.5 pg/ml, range 289.31-425.17 pg/ml) as compared to controls having VEGF of 142.28 pg/ml( range: 49.31-281.72 pg/ml).Conclusions: Increased VEGF value in the recipient cornea at the time of PK may predict higheramount of corneal graft reactions and final graft rejections in grafted eyes.68