BMJ 1995;310:1347-1348 (27 May)

Editorials

Corneal transplantation in Britain

Organisation is good; clinical outcome should get better

Over 3000 corneal transplant operations are performed each year in Britain, making this the commonest type of allografting. In most procedures a full thickness corneal button, about 8 mm in diameter, is removed and replaced. The change from using fresh tissue (within 24 hours of death) to stored tissue during the 1980s converted keratoplasty from an out of hours procedure to a mainly planned, routine operation. Cold storage (for up to 8 days at 4°C) and organ culture (for up to 30 days at 34°C) both allow for planned surgery. Organ culture allows a reserve of tissue for genuine emergencies and affords ample time for the required routine screening of donors for hepatitis B and C viruses and HIV. Extra advantages may follow the more widespread matching for HLA types.

After initiatives in the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands, Britain's Corneal . . . [Full text of this article]


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