ABO-incompatible liver transplantation (LT) entails high risk of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and poor graft survival. Different treatment modalities have been reported, but none with use of a 2-week course of high-dose polyclonal i.v. immunoglobulins (IVIg) associated with plasmapheresis without the use of steroid pulses or monoclonal antibody. A 60-year-old male patient with blood-group O, Caucasian, underwent urgent LT for acute liver failure after hepatectomy for HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma. He was grafted with a 66-year-old, blood-group A, HCV-positive liver graft. Pretransplant conditioning consisted of plasmapheresis and immunosuppression was triple with tacrolimus (TAC), steroids, and mycophenolate mofetil with anti-IL2-R monoclonal antibodies, plasmapheresis if hemagglutinin level >1:8, and extracorporeal photopheresis. After reduction of liver function tests to baseline, the patient presented a tenfold increase in alanine aminotransferases (ALT) levels 7 days post-transplantation. AMR was confirmed on histology. Treatment consisted of IVIg (1.5 g/Kg/daily for the first 7 days, and 1 g/Kg/daily from day 8 to 14) with a 14-day course of plasmapheresis. No side effect was observed and daily blood IgG levels ranged between 24.4 and 36.4 g/l. At the end of the scheduled course ALT returned to baseline. A control liver biopsy 55 days after LT showed no rejection and replacement of necrosis with fibrous strands. This case may support the role of high-dose IVIg for treatment and/or prophylaxis of severe AMR.

Treatment of antibody-mediated rejection with high-dose immunoglobulins in ABO-incompatible liver transplant recipient

DE SIMONE P;MORELLI, LUCA;CAMPANI, DANIELA;BIANCOFIORE, GIANDOMENICO LUIGI;FILIPPONI, FRANCO
2007-01-01

Abstract

ABO-incompatible liver transplantation (LT) entails high risk of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and poor graft survival. Different treatment modalities have been reported, but none with use of a 2-week course of high-dose polyclonal i.v. immunoglobulins (IVIg) associated with plasmapheresis without the use of steroid pulses or monoclonal antibody. A 60-year-old male patient with blood-group O, Caucasian, underwent urgent LT for acute liver failure after hepatectomy for HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma. He was grafted with a 66-year-old, blood-group A, HCV-positive liver graft. Pretransplant conditioning consisted of plasmapheresis and immunosuppression was triple with tacrolimus (TAC), steroids, and mycophenolate mofetil with anti-IL2-R monoclonal antibodies, plasmapheresis if hemagglutinin level >1:8, and extracorporeal photopheresis. After reduction of liver function tests to baseline, the patient presented a tenfold increase in alanine aminotransferases (ALT) levels 7 days post-transplantation. AMR was confirmed on histology. Treatment consisted of IVIg (1.5 g/Kg/daily for the first 7 days, and 1 g/Kg/daily from day 8 to 14) with a 14-day course of plasmapheresis. No side effect was observed and daily blood IgG levels ranged between 24.4 and 36.4 g/l. At the end of the scheduled course ALT returned to baseline. A control liver biopsy 55 days after LT showed no rejection and replacement of necrosis with fibrous strands. This case may support the role of high-dose IVIg for treatment and/or prophylaxis of severe AMR.
2007
Urbani, L; Mazzoni, A; DE SIMONE, P; Catalano, G; Coletti, L; Montin, U; Morelli, Luca; Campani, Daniela; Pollina, L; Biancofiore, GIANDOMENICO LUIGI; Bindi, L; Scatena, F; Filipponi, Franco
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/194758
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