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The 2000-2009 New Zealand National Eye Bank Study – 10 years of corneal donation and transplantation in New Zealand 1. William J. Cunningham¹ ² ¹ University of Auckland, Department of Ophthalmology, NZNEC, Auckland, New Zealand. Purpose: To evaluate trends in donated corneal tissue and corneal transplantation in New Zealand, 2000-2009. Methods: The New Zealand National Eye Bank (NZNEB) records were analysed for the decade 2000-2009. Variables analysed included: donor demographics, death-to-preservation interval (DPI), corneal storage, tissue utilisation, indications for transplantation, recipient demographics, and corneal transplantation type. Results: There were a total of 1268 corneal donors, with 2203 corneal transplants performed over the 10 year period. Median donor age was 67 years, while the median recipient age was 45 years (range 3 to 102 years). The Median DPI was 18.5 hours. A novel association was identified between male gender and lower corneal endothelial cell density (P < 0.0001). Overall, 89.5% of corneas were suitable for transplantation with a high utilisation rate (87.6%). The most common indication for corneal transplantation was keratoconus (41.2%), followed by aphakic/pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (12.3%), repeat transplantation (7.9%), corneal dystrophy (5.0%), viral keratitis (3.6%) and trauma (3.3%). During the latter half of the study there was a dramatic shift in transplantation type, with anterior lamellar keratoplasty (including deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty) and Descemets stripping endothelial keratoplasty combined accounting for 32.3% of all transplants in the final year of the study period. Conclusion: This NZNEB study has provided valuable data regarding corneal donation and transplantation in New Zealand over the past decade, and provides valuable additional information to international eye bank data. |
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