Trends in corneal transplantation at the University Eye Hospital in Tübingen, Germany over the last 12 years: 2004 – 2015

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the trends in the surgical methods and leading indications for corneal transplantations carried out over the last 12 years. METHODS: The data from the corneal graft waiting list and from all keratoplasties carried out between 2004 and 2015 at the University Eye Hospital in Tübingen were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 1,185 keratoplasties were performed between 2004 and 2015 at this hospital. The most common surgical indications for corneal transplantation were Fuchs’ endothelial corneal dystrophy (35.2%) and keratoconus (18.9%) with keratoconus being the leading cause during early years (from 2004 to 2009) and Fuch’s dystrophy being the leading cause from 2010 to 2015. Overall, the total count of performed keratoplasties increased, from 385 corneal transplantations during the first 6-year period to 800 corneal transplantations during the second 6-year period (P = 0.008, using Mann-Whitney test). The Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty has become the favored surgical method for endothelial disorders with the number of Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasties increasing significantly from 2008 to 2015. This increasing trend was statistically significant (P < 0.001 using multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS). A decreasing trend was also noted for the rate of penetrating keratoplasty since 2008 (P < 0.001 using MARS). CONCLUSIONS: This research showed major changes in the preferred corneal transplantation techniques and leading indications for keratoplasty over the last 12 years. More importantly, it seems that the rapid development and implementation of endothelial keratoplasty, especially the Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty, has had a profound effect on and begun a new era in corneal transplantation.