Low incidence of hepatic veno-occlusive disease in pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation attributed to a combination of intravenous heparin, oral glutamine, and ursodiol at a single transplant institution

Pediatr Transplant. 2010 Aug;14(5):618-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3046.2009.01285.x. Epub 2009 Dec 30.

Abstract

We report the low incidence of hepatic VOD in pediatric patients with various diagnoses including hematologic malignancies and non-malignant conditions transplanted at our institution. Retrospective review of 188 patients who underwent HSCT and received a combined prophylactic regimen of intravenous heparin, oral glutamine, and ursodiol was undertaken. Analysis of the outcome of VOD revealed only one clinical case with acute myeloid leukemia; the patient developed hepatic VOD 10 days after receiving myeloablative chemotherapy with busulfan and CTX followed by HLA-matched related peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. The low incidence of hepatic VOD in an otherwise high-risk pediatric transplant population is an important observation, which may be partly attributed to this prophylactic regimen, and warrants further randomized clinical trials for confirmation.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Anticoagulants / therapeutic use*
  • Chemoprevention
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Glutamine / therapeutic use*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / adverse effects*
  • Heparin / therapeutic use*
  • Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Disease / epidemiology
  • Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Disease / etiology
  • Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Disease / prevention & control*
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Ursodeoxycholic Acid / therapeutic use*
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Anticoagulants
  • Glutamine
  • Ursodeoxycholic Acid
  • Heparin