Neurological complications after stem cell transplantation in childhood.
We analyzed the incidence of neurological complications in 77 patients receiving stem cell transplantation (SCT), and 12 patients (15.8%) had the following symptoms: convulsions, intracranial hemorrhage, and leukoencephalopathy. Although statistically not significant, neurological complications were seen more frequently in patients after allogeneic transplantation, and in those with acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) exceeding grade II. The most significant risk factor for neurological complications was identified as unrelated donor allogenic transplantation (P = 0.016). Complications were categorized into three groups, based on time of onset and symptoms: (1) convulsions during the conditioning period, (2) intracranial hemorrhage during the period of granulocyte recovery, and (3) leukoencephalopathy at around 2 months after SCT. We propose awareness of the risks of neurological complications in each period after SCT so that immediate and effective treatment of patients can be instigated.
Iguchi
A
A
Department of Pediatrics, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Japan.
Kobayashi
R
R
Yoshida
M
M
Kaneda
M
M
Watanabe
N
N
Cho
Y
Y
Arioka
H
H
Naito
H
H
Shikano
T
T
Ishikawa
Y
Y
D000293:Adolescent; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000209:etiology; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors