The effect of prospective HLA-A and -B matching on corneal graft survival

The effect of prospective HLA-A and -B matching on corneal graft survival was studied in 159 Dutch recipients. The follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 4 1/2 years. In the same period, 380 grafts were performed without HLA matching. The influence of HLA-A and -B matching on graft survival in all vascularized cases (N=137) was significant (p=0.046). If the non-immunological failures were excluded the effect of H LA-A and -B matching became more pronounced (p=0.027). The influence of HLA-A and -B matching on the graft survival of only the first grafts in vascularized corneas is also significant (p=0.028). Finally a significant influence of HLA-A and -B matching was found in repeated grafts in vascularized corneas (p=0.037).