Highly variable plasma concentrations of voriconazole in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients.

Invasive fungal infections are of great concern in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. Voriconazole is usually the drug of first choice for treating or preventing invasive aspergillosis. Optimum trough levels (C(trough)s) are between 1 and 5 mg/liter.

Once-daily intravenous busulfan with therapeutic drug monitoring compared to conventional oral busulfan improves survival and engraftment in children undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Because of intra- and interindividual variability, bioavailability, and pharmacokinetics of busulfan (Bu) in children, oral busulfan without therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is assumed to be associated with higher graft failure rates as well as higher toxicity (eg, veno-occlusive disease [VOD]). This study compares the outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) of 2 groups: 1) 30 patients who received myeloablation with once-daily intravenous (i.v.