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Steroid-free liver transplantation using rabbit antithymocyte globulin and early tacrolimus monotherapy

✍ Scribed by John G. O'Grady


Book ID
102466793
Publisher
John Wiley and Sons
Year
2004
Tongue
English
Weight
57 KB
Volume
10
Category
Article
ISSN
1527-6465

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✦ Synopsis


Background. In 2001, we published early results of a prospective randomized trial of 71 patients who received either steroids or rabbit antithymocyte globulin (RATG) for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We now report follow-up on these patients and additional patients undergoing steroid-free OLT. Methods. A total of 119 adult OLT recipients were prospectively randomized to receive either methylprednisolone 1,000 mg followed by a 3-month steroid taper or a steroid-free regimen of RATG 1.5 mg/kg during the anhepatic phase followed by a 1.5 mg/kg dose on posttransplant day 1. Maintenance immunosuppression consisted of tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil in both groups. Mycophenolate mofetil was weaned over 3 months in the first 71 patients and over 2 weeks in the last 48 patients, achieving tacrolimus monotherapy by 2 weeks posttransplant. Subsequently, a group of 24 sequential OLT recipients received the steroid-free (RATG) protocol. Endpoints of the study were survival, rejection, infectious complications, posttransplant diabetes, and recurrent hepatitis C virus. Results. One-year patient survival was 85% in each group of the prospective randomized trial with a mean follow-up of 18.5 months. One-year graft survival was 82% in the RATG group and 80% in the steroid group (P ‫؍‬ not significant). Patient and graft survival of the 24 nonrandomized RATG patients was 96% with a mean follow-up of 3 months. The incidence of rejection was not significantly different; however, 50% of the patients in the steroid group required pulse steroids to reverse the rejection compared with only one patient (1.6%) in the RATG group (P ‫؍‬ 03). The incidence of cytomegalovirus infection (P < .05) and posttransplant diabetes was higher in the steroid group (P ‫؍‬ .03). There was a trend toward decreased severity of hepatitis C virus in the RATG group. Conclusions. Steroid-free liver transplantation using RATG and early tacrolimus monotherapy effectively reduces immunosuppression-related complications with excellent survival.


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Induction therapy with T-cell depleting drugs in liver transplantation is controversial. This study examined the use of rabbit antithymocyte globulin (RATG) with delayed introduction of tacrolimus in liver transplant recipients. Additional subgroup analysis compared patients with or without hepatiti