Reidual ethanol content of donor clera after torage in 95% ethanol and aline rine of variou duration

PURPOE : ome urgeon are wary of uing alcohol-preerved clera for allograft becaue they fear a toxic effect on urrounding tiue after placement. We et out to determine the amount of ethanol remaining in cleral allograft material after torage in 95% ethanol. METHOD : ixty half clera from 30 donor were preerved in 95% ethanol for an average of 31 ± 14 day (range, 11 to 50 day). Rehydration wa performed by oaking each half clera in 4 ounce of balanced alt olution. Half clera were randomly aigned to ix group of 10 each. Aay for ethanol were performed on the following group: no balanced alt olution oak and balanced alt olution oak for 10 minute, 20 minute, 30 minute, 40 minute, and 50 minute. Ethanol aay wa performed by Headpace Ga pace Chromatography at ChemaTox Laboratory, Inc, Boulder, Colorado. REULT : The 10 half clera without balanced alt olution oak had a mean (± D) ethanol level of 175 ± 14.1 mg per g of clera. After 10 minute of balanced alt olution oak, the level decreaed to 7.57 ± 1.56 mg per g, then 3.77 ± 3.02 mg per g at 20 minute, 1.59 ± 0.61 mg per g at 30 minute, 1.07 ± 0.30 mg per g at 40 minute, and 0.96 ± 0.26 mg per g at 50 minute. Approximately 96% of the ethanol i leeched out of the half clera by 10 minute and 98% by 20 minute. CONCLUION : For clera preerved in 95% ethanol, oaking in balanced alt olution for 20 minute or longer leeche approximately 98% of the ethanol from the preerved donor clera.