Treating humoral rejection after cardiac transplantation

Acta Cardiol. 2011 Apr;66(2):263-6. doi: 10.1080/ac.66.2.2071263.

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.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

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

Substances

  • Immunoglobulins