Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the effectiveness of a point-of-care test (POCT) based on deamidated gliadin peptides (DGP) compared to the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) criteria diagnosis in the early detection of celiac disease (CD) in pediatric patients.
Methods: One hundred children (≤ 18 years) with suspected CD were selected, including siblings of celiac children that underwent gastroscopy for other gastrointestinal conditions. Patients with severe disease, following a gluten-free diet (GFD), with gastrointestinal bleeding, coagulopathy and infections in the last month were excluded.
PTLDs are a well-recognized and potentially fatal complication after intestinal transplantation. We analyzed the incidence, clinical features, and outcome in a 63 intestinal transplantation series performed in our unit between October 1999 and July 2011. Types of graft included ISB (n = 23), LSB (n = 20), and MV (n = 20).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo review our experience with SRL as a second-line therapy in our series of 45 SBTx recipients (1997-2009). Retrospective review of five children converted to SRL: 3 M/2 F; median of three yr old (range 20 months-18 yr); rescue indications, adverse events with SRL, resolution of tacrolimus-related side effects, incidence of rejection, PTLD, or GVHD were summarized. Tacrolimus was discontinued (average 13 months after transplant) because of refractory hemolytic anemia in four patients with decreased renal function and because of advanced renal failure and unclear neutropenia in one.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutoimmune cytopaenia is a rare, but severe complication after solid organ transplantation. We retrospectively analysed 57 paediatric intestinal transplants performed in 49 patients between 1999 and 2009. Autoimmune cytopaenia was observed in six patients; it appeared after an average of 10 months post-transplant.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) is a rare complication of transplantation of organs rich in immunocompetent cells. The goal of this study was to report the features of GVHD after small bowel transplantation (SBTx) in children.
Methods: The study involved a retrospective review of patients undergoing SBTx between 1999 and 2009 who had GVHD.
Intestinal transplantation is considered the usual treatment for patients with permanent intestinal failure when parenteral nutrition has failed. Chronic rejection is a complication difficult to diagnose because of the scarcity and lack of specificity in the symptoms and the characteristics of typical histological findings. We report the case of a four-yr-old patient who received an isolated intestinal transplant.
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