Impact of growth factors on morphometric corneal endothelial cell parameters and cell density in culture-preserved human corneas.

Purpose: Donor corneas can be preserved for < or = 4 weeks in organ culture (31 degrees C) by using modified minimal essential medium (MEM). About one fifth of them have to be discarded, however, as disintegration of the endothelial cell monolayer-enhanced polymegethism, cell loss-occurs. The objective of this study was to investigate whether addition of insulin, dextran, and epidermal growth factor (EGF) makes corneal endothelial cells more viable, stable, and homogeneous.