title: Neurological and neuroradiological findings in long-term survivors of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess neurological, neuropsychological, and neuroradiological findings in long-term survivors of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) who were recruited from a hematological outpatient clinic. In addition, risk factors for the development of late neurological complications were identified. In contrast to previous studies on autopsied patients, our study design provoked a bias away from increased neurological sequelae, because patients with early complications after BMT were excluded. Fifty-nine allogeneic patients and 7 autologous BMT patients underwent clinical examination, short neuropsychological testing, and cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 34 +/- 26 months after BMT. The pathological results of the neurological examination (abnormal 64%) and the MRI examination (white matter lesions, 54%; atrophy, 11%) were associated with the occurrence of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) evolving from acute GvHD, with corticosteroid therapy and with cyclosporine medication. Neuropsychological impairment (cognitive deficits, 37%) was associated with long-term cyclosporine medication and age. No influence of pre-BMT disease, BMT donor status, or the conditioning regimen was found. These results suggest that the frequent neurological abnormalities in long-term survivors of allogeneic BMT are associated with chronic GvHD and with the resulting immunosuppression as major risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Padovan
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Yousry
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schleuning
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Holler
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kolb
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Straube
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous