OUTCOME OF CORNEAL GRAFTING WITH DONOR TISSUE FROM EYES WITH PRIMARY CHOROIDAL MELANOMAS - A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT COMPARISON

Objectives: To determine if melanomas have occurred in the recipients of corneas from donor eyes with primary choroidal melanomas and to det ermine the success of corneal grafting with tissue taken from eyes wit h primary choroidal melanomas. Design: Retrospective cohort comparison and follow-up patient questionnaire. Setting: A tertiary medical cent er in Rochester, Minn. Patients: In patients who received corneal tran splants, we reviewed 47 consecutive corneas transplanted from donor ey es enucleated for choroidal melanomas and compared them with 47 cornea l grafts from donor eyes without melanomas matched for recipient age ( +/- 10 years), date of operation (+/- 12 months), corneal storage time (+/- 24 hours), and operation type. Results: No melanomas occurred in either group over a mean follow-up of 5.4 years (range, 0.4 to 15 yea rs). There was no significant difference between the two groups in cor neal thickness and endothelial cell loss at 2 months and 1 year after transplantation and in the probability of a rejection episode. Conclus ions: There is no evidence of tumor transmission by transplantation of corneas from donor eyes with primary choroidal melanomas. Corneas tra nsplanted from donor eyes with primary choroidal melanomas have simila r outcomes to corneas transplanted from donor eyes without melanomas.