Beneficial effect of HLA-DR matching on the survival of corneal allografts.

Background: Although HLA typing and matching have been used for 3 decades, that practice has been poorly implemented in corneal transplantation, mainly because of inconclusive or contradictory analytical results. Consequently, we studied the immune response of corneal transplant recipients to HLA histoincompatibilities in a large homogeneous study.

Methods: All corneal transplantations performed by a single surgeon between 1976 and 1996 were studied. HLA-AB matching was used for recipient selection. All HLA typings were performed by a single experienced laboratory. Population genetic techniques were used to assess the validity of the HLA typings. Mono- and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the factors which significantly influence the survival of corneal allografts. Simulation studies were carried out to demonstrate the effects of mis-typed donor and recipient HLA-DR typings on analytical results.

Results: Retransplantation, degree of vascularization, HLA-AB and DR matching, endothelial cell count, graft size, recipient gender, and storage method were identified as significant factors by our monovariate analyses. A Cox proportional hazards survival analysis model identified degree of vascularization and HLA-AB and DR matching as significant prognostic factors when all immunological rejection episodes were used, P=0.000001. When only irreversible immunological rejection episodes were used, panel reactive antibodies, retransplantation, and number of rejection events were also identified, P=0.000001. Simulation studies showed that the effects of HLA-DR matching are abrogated by poor HLA-DR typings.

Conclusions: Corneal allograft recipients have a normal alloimmune response to histoincompatibilities. Demonstration of that fact requires accurate HLA typings.