Endothelial Cell Viability of Donor Corneas Preserved in Eusol-C Corneal Storage Medium

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of Eusol-C as a corneal storage medium on the survival of donor endothelium. Materials and Methods: Twenty-seven corneas not suitable for transplant were included in this study. All donor corneas were stored in Eusol-C at 4 degrees C. Daily donor corneal endothelial cell counting was performed with an eye bank specular microscope. All corneas were discarded after the study process. Results: Mean donor age was 51.3 +/- 18.8 years (range, 25-94 y). The mean duration between death and corneal excision was 9.5 +/- 6.7 hours (range, 3-23 h). Mean endothelial cell density was 2195 +/- 383 cells/mm(2) at the beginning of the preservation (range, 1361-2899 cells/mm(2)). Donor endothelial cell density was between 1500 to 2000 cells/mm(2) in 9 corneas, 2000 to 2500 in 11 corneas, 2500 to 3000 in 5, and higher than 3000 in 2 corneas at baseline. Mean endothelial cell density was found 1658 cells/mm(2) on the eighth day of storage, with a mean endothelial cell loss rate of 24.5%. Corneas stored 9 to 24 days in Eusol-C had a rate of endothelial cell damage of 3.1% per day. Conclusions: Although our results revealed a higher endothelial cell loss than previous reports, overall performance of Eusol-C in preserving the donor endothelium may be satisfactory for clinical use.