Table 1.
Mean endothelial cell densities (ECD) at the start and end of storage, from 17 French cornea banks using organ culture storage (for 1999, source: French storage centre register3)
| Cornea bank | Corneas delivered (number) | Donor age (years) | Death-procurement time (hours) | ECD at start of organ culture (cells/mm2) | Organ culture time (days) | ECD at delivery (cells/mm2) |
| 1 | 126 | 62.0 | 9.25 | 2140 | 15.4 | 1986 |
| 2 | 102 | 67.2 | 14.2 | 2441 | 15.5 | 2131 |
| 3 | 31 | 54.0 | NA | 2316 | 19 | 2190 |
| 4 | 288 | 71.5 | 29.4 | nd | 18.5 | 2218 |
| 5 | 85 | 58.0 | 14 | NA | 16 | 2300 |
| 6 | 211 | 66.0 | NA | 2390 | 16 | 2308 |
| 7 | 73 | 68.0 | 11 | 2660 | 18.5 | 2340 |
| 8 | 64 | 64.0 | 11 | NA | 16 | 2496 |
| 9 | 91 | 50.0 | 8 | 2680 | 16 | 2540 |
| 10 | 93 | 49.4 | 12.4 | 2748 | 14.5 | 2561 |
| 11 | 152 | NA | 12 | 2675 | 16 | 2567 |
| 12 | 267 | 61.0 | 8 | 2800 | 17.3 | 2600 |
| 13 | 107 | 70.7 | 13.4 | 2738 | 21 | 2643 |
| 14 | 49 | 64.0 | 9.75 | 2806 | 17.3 | 2710 |
| 15 | 133 | 67.5 | 11.7 | 2645 | 14 | 2745 |
| 16 | 142 | 64.4 | 8.3 | 3030 | 18 | 2848 |
| 17 | 411 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
**Only bank 4 used a computer aided analysis tool based on digitisation by tracing with the mouse the perimeter of 100 cells visible on the screen, an objective but laborious and time consuming method. The ECDs of our bank (number 2) and of the 15 others were measured manually during this period. Since our bank has been using our prototype analyser, our mean ECDs have increased a mean 4% (data not presented) and now approach those of bank 4. ECD = endothelial cell density, NA = data not available, nd = analysis not done