Outcomes of Infectious versus Sterile Perforated Corneal Ulcers after Therapeutic Penetrating Keratoplasty in the United States

Table 3

Comparison of postoperative outcomes of sterile versus infectious perforated corneal ulcers that required therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty (with 95% confidence intervals).

Postoperative outcomes	Sterile ulcers ()	Infectious ulcers ()	value
Eradication of underlying disease with initial therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty	Yes = 14 (56%); No = 11 (44%)	Yes = 17 (85%); No = 3 (15%)	0.0321
Adjunctive surgical measures required to facilitate postoperative graft healing	Yes = 19 (76%); No = 6 (24%)	Yes = 3 (15%); No = 17 (85%)	<0.0001
Clarity achieved on the first graft	Yes = 5 (20%); No = 20 (80%)	Yes = 7 (35%); No = 13 (65%)	0.2589
Reperforation occurred after initial therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty	Yes = 9 (36%); No = 16 (64%)	Yes = 1 (5%); No = 19 (95%)	0.0079
Regrafted again after initial therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty	Yes = 12 (48%); No = 13 (52%)	Yes = 8 (40%); No = 12 (60%)	0.5910
Total number of corneal grafts received	1.9 (1.4–2.5); Range = 1 to 8	1.7 (1.1–2.3); Range = 1 to 5	0.6068
Eventually received Boston Type 1 Keratoprosthesis	Yes = 6 (24%); No = 19 (76%)	Yes = 2 (10%); No = 18 (90%)	0.2112
Postoperative best corrected visual acuity (logMAR) at 3-year follow-up	2.43 (2.04–2.82); Range = 0.1 to 3.5	1.67 (1.21–2.11); Range = 0 to 3	0.0130
Operative eye became no light perception	Yes = 6 (24%); No = 19 (76%)	Yes = 0 (0%); No = 20 (100%)	0.0053
Operative eye received enucleation/evisceration	Yes = 4 (16%); No = 23 (84%)	Yes = 0 (0%); No = 20 (100%)	0.0252
Patient deceased during study interval	Yes = 6 (24%); No = 19 (76%)	Yes = 3 (15%); No = 17 (85%)	0.4487