title: Optimizing cyclosporine use in pediatric patients by measuring pretransplant blood levels.
abstract: A method for measuring pretransplant CsA levels to predict posttransplant pharmacokinetic behavior was studied in a total of seven pediatric patients. Comparison of drug levels and single-dose pharmacokinetic characteristics in the pretransplant and posttransplant study periods suggest that this method (1) is useful in predicting early posttransplant blood levels and beta-phase half-life; (2) may prevent early episodes of acute allograft rejection associated with subtherapeutic cyclosporine immunosuppression; and (3) may identify those patients who should not be empirically treated with only cyclosporine and prednisone in the early posttransplant period.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Illinois, Chicago 60612.
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Bauma
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Veremis
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Maddux
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pollak
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Mozes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000097:blood / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D003524:Cyclosporins; D011241:Prednisone