Penetrating keratoplasty with fresh and cryopreserved corneas. Donor endothelial cell survival in primates.

Eight monkeys received bilateral corneal transplants, one fresh and one cryopreserved, from eight other healthy monkeys of sex opposite to that of the recipients. Three of the animals maintained clear grafts in both eyes, and the sex chromatin patterns of the corneal endothelial cells in these transplants were studied at one, two, and three years after keratoplasty. Definite survival of donor endothelial cells of their progeny was observed in each graft, and the percentage of cells of donor origin was similar for both fresh and cryopreserved grafts at each timer period.