Repeat corneal transplantation in Auckland, New Zealand: Indications, visual outcomes and risk factors for repeat keratoplasty failure

Importance In New Zealand, repeat keratoplasty has become the second leading indication for corneal transplantation. Background To report the indications, outcomes and survival of repeat keratoplasty and evaluate the risk factors for graft failure. Design Retrospective study in a public corneal service. Participants Two hundred nineteen patients undergoing 279 repeat keratoplasty procedures during 1991‐2017. Methods The New Zealand National Eye Bank prospectively collects data on all corneal transplants. This was utilized to identify patients undergoing repeat keratoplasty in Auckland. Clinical records were retrospectively reviewed. Main Outcome Measures Graft survival and visual outcome. Results The repeat keratoplasty technique was penetrating keratoplasty (PK) in 242 cases (86.7%) and endothelial keratoplasty in 37 (13.3%). The most common primary indication was keratoconus (46.6%). The most common indication for repeat keratoplasty was endothelial decompensation (37.6%). For PK performed as a repeat keratoplasty, the median survival in years was 12.0 for first, 3.5 for second and 2.3 for third repeat keratoplasty. Keratoconus had the longest graft survival (median 13.0 years). In surviving grafts, median visual acuity was 6/15 at 1 year and 6/12 at 2 years. On multivariate analysis, regraft number (P = .022), non‐European ethnicity (P = .007), concurrent surgical procedure (P