title: Cataract development and outcome of surgery in bone marrow transplanted children.
abstract: Cataract development in bone marrow transplanted (BMT) patients was studied prospectively. There were 61 children, transplanted before the age of 18 years, who survived more than 1 year after transplantation. Patients transplanted for leukaemia (n = 43) were conditioned before BMT with cyclophosphamide (Cy) and total body irradiation (TBI). Patients with severe aplastic anaemia (SAA) (n = 9) only received Cy. None of the patients with SAA developed cataracts. All children with leukaemia, who were followed for at least 3 years (n = 37), developed lens posterior subcapsular cataracts (PSC). Cataract extraction was performed in 28 eyes, on average 5.1 years (range 3-9 years) after BMT. Postoperative corrected visual acuity was similar to that before BMT. The majority of cases needed laser capsulotomy within 2 years after cataract extraction. TBI seems to be the main cause for the high incidence of cataract after BMT. A relationship to steroid administration could not be proved, but a contributory effect is not excluded.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Karolinska Institute, St Erik's Eye Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Calissendorff
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bolme
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002386:Cataract / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005123:Eye / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007938:Leukemia / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity