Graft Failure After Pediatric Penetrating Keratoplasty in the United States.

Purpose: In contrast to adult patients, corneal transplants performed in pediatric patients tend to fare poorly, with relatively higher graft failure rates. The purpose of this study was to analyze the indications and outcomes of pediatric patients undergoing penetrating keratoplasty (PK).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included children ≤18 years in the IRIS Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) who underwent PK (January 1, 2013-December 31, 2020). Corneal graft failure was identified using International Classification of Diseases codes. The Kaplan-Meier estimated 5-year cumulative incidence of graft failure after PK. Hazard ratios (HR) derived from multivariable Cox regression models were used to evaluate the association of graft failure with sociodemographic and clinical factors.

Results: Five hundred forty-four children underwent PK (median age 15 years; 43% [234] female). Indications for surgery included nontraumatic acquired (58%, N = 318), congenital (18%, N = 100), other (9.6%, N = 52), and traumatic acquired (8.6%, N = 47). The cumulative incidence of graft failure within 5 years of PK was 50% (95% confidence intervals [CI], 45%-56%). The incidences did not differ between patients in various etiology groups. Graft failure was associated with glaucoma (HR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.05-2.01; P = 0.023), dry eye disease (HR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.18-2.92; P = 0.007), and corneal neovascularization (HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.00-3.08; P = 0.050).

Conclusions: Approximately half of children undergoing PK in the IRIS Registry experienced graft failure within 5 years of transplantation. The association of graft failure with ocular conditions such as glaucoma and dry eye disease suggests potential avenues to decrease the high incidence of graft failure in this population.