Long-term effects of topical cyclosporine A treatment after penetrating keratoplasty.
To evaluate the long-term outcome of topical 2% cyclosporine A (CsA) treatment as an adjunct to topical corticosteroid treatment of patients after penetrating keratoplasty (PKP). We reviewed the records of 83 patients (86 eyes) who had undergone PKP and received topical CsA treatment postoperatively; also the records of 95 PKP patients (97 eyes) who received the same treatment, except for the 2% CsA eyedrops, and served as controls. The patients were also subdivided into high-risk and low-risk groups. The clinical outcome of PKP was evaluated by the rates of graft survival and rejection-free graft survival, using the Kaplan-Meier method, and compared with the log-rank test. In the high-risk patients, the rejection-free graft survival rate was 69.7% in the CsA group and 45.4% in the control group (P =.030), but there was no significant difference in the graft survival rate between the two groups. Topical cyclosporine treatment is effective in reducing the risk of allograft rejection in high-risk patients.