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News Releases / Full Story
April 2, 2008
Davis Duehr Dean Participates in Nationwide Cornea Transplant Study
Results Show that Older Corneas are Suitable for Transplantation and Could Expand Donor Pool Significantly
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on April 1, 2008, results of the national multi-center Cornea Donor Study (CDS). Conducted by the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the NIH, the study determined that corneal transplants using tissue from older donors have similar rates of survival, or success rates, to those using tissue from younger donors.
The five-year transplant success rate was the same – 86 percent – for transplants performed with corneas from donors ages 12 to 65 years and from donors ages 66-75. The study is published in the April issue of the journal Ophthalmology.
The study is the largest of its type on corneal transplantation ever done. In total, more than 1,101 participants and 105 surgeons from 80 sites across the United States participated. The Davis Duehr Dean Clinic of Dean Health System in Madison, Wisconsin was the state’s only participating site.
Site investigator, Christopher Croasdale, MD, is a cornea transplant specialist at Davis Duehr Dean and Associate Medical Director for the Lions Eye Bank of Wisconsin.
“The results of the study are good news in that
they provide evidence that can help increase the supply of corneas available
to patients
in need of transplants,” says Croasdale. “As the U.S. population
grows and average life expectancy continues to increase, there
is greater demand for cornea tissue for persons with corneal diseases.
These study
results will expand the donor cornea pool and make the scheduling
of transplant procedures easier for both surgeons and patients.”
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