The reasons for evisceration after penetrating keratoplasty between 1995 and 2015.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the indications and frequency of evisceration after penetrating keratoplasty (PK).

METHODS: The medical records of all patients who underwent evisceration after PK between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 2015 at Ankara Training and Research Hospital were reviewed. Patient demographics and the surgical indications for PK, diagnosis for evisceration, frequency of evisceration, and the length of time between PK and evisceration were recorded.

RESULTS: The frequency of evisceration was 0.95% (16 of 1684), and the mean age of the patients who underwent evisceration was 56.31 ± 14.82 years. The most common indication for PK that resulted in evisceration was keratoconus (37.5%), and the most common underlying cause leading to evisceration was endophthalmitis (56.25%). The interval between PK and evisceration ranged from 9 to 78 months.

CONCLUSIONS: Although keratoplasty is one of the most successful types of surgery among tissue transplantations, our findings show that it is associated with a possible risk of evisceration.