Epidemiological and clinical analyses of corneal transplants performed in a reference eye center in Recife, Brazil

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the epidemiological and clinical profiles of corneal transplants performed in a reference eye center in Recife, state of Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil. Methods: This cross-sectional study collected epidemiological and clinical data from the medical records of patients who underwent keratoplasty at the Altino Ventura Foundation between January and December 2017. Results: A total of 356 procedures were performed in 327 patients, of whom 165 (50.5%) were female. The mean age at surgery was 50.9 ± 22.6 years (range, 10-89 years). Most patients (n=152 [46.5%]) were from the capital and metropolitan areas. The mean waiting time for keratoplasty was 52.4 ± 58.9 days (range, 0-460 days). The main indications for keratoplasty were infectious keratitis (n=88 [24.7%]), keratoconus (n=80 [22.5%]), and previous transplant failure (n=75 [21.1%]). Penetrating keratoplasty was the most common surgical technique performed (n=213 [59.9%]) and more frequently performed in men (n=132 [76.7%]), whereas posterior lamellar transplant (n=143 [41.1%]) was more frequently performed in women (p