title: The influence of late acute rejection episodes on long-term graft outcome after liver transplantation.
abstract: Acute cellular rejection represents the most important single risk factor for the occurrence of chronic rejection after organ transplantation. We correlated late acute rejections with the occurrence of chronic graft failure after liver transplantation. We followed 1426 liver transplants for late acute rejection episodes defined as occurring >3 months after OLT. The overall incidence of chronic rejection in our patient population was 3.7%. In summary, we observed a predictive increase of transaminase levels prior to routine biopsies among patients with histologic evidence of late acute rejections. In contrast to other organ systems, late acute rejection episodes were not associated with the occurrence of chronic graft deterioration in liver grafts.
authors.affiliation: Klinik f. Allgemein-, Viszeral- und Transplantationschirurgie, Charité Berlin Campus Virchow Klinikum, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Junge
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Tullius
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Klitzing
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schewior
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pratschke
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Radke
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Neuhaus
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neuhaus
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome