A review of all published cases of iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseas
e (CJD) via dural (N=71) and corneal (N=4) transplants is given. All b
ut three of the dural cases were obviously due to a commercial product
recalled in 1996. Two of the corneal grafts were taken from patients
who had died of sporadic CJD. These cases differed from CJD due to hum
an growth hormone injections and the new variant. Instead, they were a
kin to sporadic cases, but memory loss, disorders of higher cerebral f
unctions and extrapyramidal signs were fewer, while cerebellar abnorma
lities were more frequent. Progressive dysarthria and gait disorder/ga
it ataxia were prominent signs during the early stages, myocloni the m
ost salient feature later. A nonperiodic EEG did not contradict the di
agnosis. Using current diagnostic criteria the disease was underdiagno
sed ante mortem. Utmost care is needed in selecting, harvesting and ha
ndling dural and corneal grafts to avoid inadvertent transmission of C
JD. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.