Treating humoral rejection after cardiac transplantation.

Abstract

Whereas effective strategies are available to treat acute cellular cardiac rejection, humoral rejection, also called vascular or antibody-mediated rejection, is more difficult to manage. Antibody-mediated (non-cellular) rejections (AMR) are rare and few successfully treated cases have been described in the literature. We report on a female patient, diagnosed with humoral rejection, leading to severe ventricular dysfunction and haemodynamic compromise, two months after transplantation. The patient received a combination therapy, consisting of plasmapheresis and immunoglobulins, which resulted in complete resolution of immunohistochemical signs of AMR. In this report, we will overview AMR and discuss several treatment modalities.

• Authors: Jef Verheyen, Tom Vermeulen, Karin Janssen Van Doorn, Christiaan Vrints, Viviane Conraads
• Journal: Acta cardiologica (Acta Cardiol) Vol. 66 Issue 2 Pg. 263-6 (Apr 2011) ISSN: 0001-5385 [Print] England
• PMID: 21591590 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Immunoglobulins

Topics

• Combined Modality Therapy
• Female
• Graft Rejection (diagnosis, immunology, physiopathology, therapy)
• Heart Transplantation
• Humans
• Immunity, Humoral
• Immunoglobulins (therapeutic use)
• Middle Aged
• Plasmapheresis