[Endothelial morphometry and perforating keratoplasties]

50 corneal grafts were studied by specular microscopy. The endothelial cell morphology of the grafts was analysed by using a computerised image analysis system. The endothelial cell density decreased rapidly during the first three post-operative months (17%). It continued to decrease for the first year (52%, after which cell loss occurred at a slower rate (3% of the sample cell count per year). The coefficient of variation in cell area remained constant (27%). The percentage of endothelial cell loss might be closely associated with the reestablishment of the hexagonal cellular pattern. These results suggest that the endothelium of the graft is in a state of transition during the first year after surgery.