Heart Transplant Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Heart Transplant, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery, organ donation.

Recurrence of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease after heart-lung transplantation.

Izbicki G, Shitrit D, Schechtman I, Bendayan D, Fink G, Sahar G, Saute M, Ben-Gal T, Kramer MR

Pulmonary Institute, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus, Petach Tikva and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.

Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, a rare cause of pulmonary hypertension, is characterized by extensive and diffuse occlusion of pulmonary veins by fibrous tissue. Although the diagnosis can be suspected by the presence of the classic clinical triad of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension, radiographic evidence of pulmonary hypertension and edema, and normal pulmonary artery occlusion pressure, the definitive diagnosis is histopathologic. The prognosis of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease is poor with most described patients dying within 2 years of diagnosis. Although anti-coagulation, oxygen, and vasodilator therapies are effective temporarily, the definitive treatment is lung transplantation. We describe the recurrence of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease at 3 months after heart-lung transplantation in a 26-year-old man. Recurrence after transplantation for this disease has not been reported previously, and lung transplantation was thought to be definitive treatment. With this 1st report of early recurrence of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease after heart-lung transplantation, we believe that extrapulmonary factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of this rare disease.

Published 17 May 2005 in J Heart Lung Transplant, 24(5): 635-7.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Heart Transplant Research Today. All Rights Reserved.