Analysis of corneal thickness and endothelial cell density in pseudophakic and aphakic patients undergoing penetrating keratoplasty.

We studied the effects of the presence or location of an intraocular lens on 54 eyes with a penetrating keratoplasty. Endothelial cell density and corneal thickness measurements were compared in the four subgroups (14 aphakic, 14 anterior chamber lenses, 11 iris-supported lenses, and 15 posterior chamber lenses), using analysis of covariance, with the covariable being months since transplant. There was no statistical difference in these parameters among the four groups. The correlation between endothelial cell density and postoperative time (P less than .0022) and between corneal thickness and elapsed time (P less than .05) was, however, significant in all categories. Based on our analysis, we believe the presence or location of an intraocular lens is not detrimental to the corneal endothelium in penetrating keratoplasty.