Prevalence of causes for prioritization of penetrating corneal transplantation in a reference university hospital in the State of Pará

Abstract

Objective: To identify the diagnostic and demographic profile of patients prioritized for penetrating corneal transplants performed at a university hospital in the Amazon Region. ​Methods: A cross-sectional, retrospective study was carried out with a quantitative and descriptive approach in a reference university hospital in Ophthalmology in the Amazon, based on data recorded in the National Transplant System, with the variables analyzed: sex, age, education, origin, purpose of transplantation and the reason for prioritizing patients who underwent urgent keratoplasty between July 2017 and January 2023. Results: There was a higher prevalence of ocular perforation and decemetocele, followed in a lower percentage by ulcers unresponsive to treatment, retransplantation after primary graft failure and, less frequently, bilateral corneal opacity < 07 years. The profile of patients undergoing the procedure was predominantly male, with an average age of 47 years, from the State capital and with an education level limited to incomplete primary education. Conclusion: It is concluded that ocular perforation and decemetocele were the main criteria for indicating urgent penetrating keratoplasty and there is still a lack of studies that demonstrate the clinical and epidemiological aspects of this population.