Adli Otopsi İşlemi Yapılan Olgulardan Alınan Kornea Dokusunun Nakil Sürecinin Adli ve Tıbbi Açıdan Değerlendirilmesi

Objective: Keratoplasty (corneal transplantation) is a procedure to replace a cornea with impaired transparency with a cornea that is transparent and has a sufficient number of endothelial cells. In the presence of a healthy donor corneal endothelium, corneal transplantation is one of the most common and successful methods of tissue transplantation. In our study, we aimed to contribute to the literature by performing forensic autopsy procedures according to legal norms and presenting the data of cases in which corneal tissue was obtained from the autopsy donor and transplanted to suitable patients. Methods: The study included 70 forensic cases autopsied between 1 January 2020 and 10 March 2024 at the Forensic Medicine Institution Erzurum Group Presidency Morgue Specialization Department, and 140 patients who were followed up for corneal pathology and underwent corneal transplantation at Ataturk University Faculty of Medicine Hospital. The transplantation process of corneas from 70 autopsied forensic cases was evaluated. Corneal endothelial cell counts were performed for each corneal tissue (KONAN EKA-10 specular microscope) and corneas with cell counts below 2000 cells per mm2 were destroyed.Results: 71,42% of the patients were male and 28,58% were female with a mean age of 33,04 years (max: 66, min: 3, sd: 14,498). The mean endothelial surface area of the donor corneas was 3504 ± 18.32 mm². The most common indication for corneal transplantation was keratoconus (57,14%), penetrating keratoplasty (78,57%) and graft failure (15%). Conclusion: The present study has obtained successful results in corneal transplants, which can be attributed to the fact that the majority of the autopsied cases were young, had no additional systemic diseases and had high endothelial cell density. Consequently, it is recommended that measures be implemented to enhance the supply of tissues from forensic cases within our nation. This should be achieved through the following strategies: the promotion of awareness regarding tissue and organ donation, the establishment of legal regulations, and the facilitation of communication between the eye bank, the Forensic Medicine Institute, and law enforcement agencies across all centres.