Autopsy Final Report Findings and Corneal Transplantation: A Retrospective Review

Authors

Ellen L. Heck, MT (ASCP) MA, Valerie Corder BSRN, Richard Jordan, BA, CEBT, Jill Urban M.D., Dwight Cavanagh M.D. PhD

Abstract

Donor screening for the possible introduction of a transmissible disease is a paramount concern for eye bankers, the Food and Drug Administration, (FDA), and the Eye Bank Association of America, (EBAA). The combination of the donor risk assessment interview or (DRAI) and the mandated serologic testing for infectious viral disease markers has been highly successful in assuring the safety of allograft tissues for transplantation. However, especially for cornea transplantation due to the time limits for maximum viability of the endothelial cells needed to restore vision, information that might have adversely affected the determination of donor eligibility does not become available until after the tissue has been transplanted. This retrospective study reviews histology findings and autopsies where myocarditis, or other potential contraindication was not reported until days or weeks after the corneal transplantation had occurred.