title: Cytomegalovirus infection in orthotopic liver transplantation.
abstract: We retrospectively studied 175 orthotopic liver transplants in 151 patients. Of the 151 patients, 59 (39.1%) were diagnosed as having cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. The rate of infection in patients treated for rejection was 48.8% as compared to 26.2% in patients without rejection (P less than 0.01). Antirejection therapy was associated with culture-positive cases in 33 out of 43 patients as compared to 9 out of 16 patients who had CMV antibody titer elevations. Patients were treated with gancyclovir if they had simultaneous positive cultures from multiple sites and were seriously ill. Eighteen of the 19 patients thus treated had side effects, one of which was serious (bone marrow hypoplasia). Cultures became negative in 15 out of 17 (88%) of the surviving patients. Patient survival was similar to our overall survival rate of 87%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75246.
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Sayage
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Gonwa
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Goldstein
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Husberg
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Klintmalm
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D015774:Ganciclovir