A 34-year-old-man with short-bowel syndrome received an isolated small bowel graft. On postoperative day (POD) 11, ileal biopsy specimen demonstrated mild to moderate rejection that did not respond to corticosteroid bolus therapy. On POD 14, endoscopy and histologic examination revealed exfoliative rejection that was not controlled after 14 days of therapy with thymoglobulin. On POD 95, the patient underwent surgery again because of intestinal obstruction. The graft was removed 6 months after transplantation because of continuous severe abdominal pain with weight loss. After enterectomy, the patient developed multiple-organ failure and died on POD day 8. This case underlines the severity of exfoliative rejection and suggests that early enterectomy be performed when the diagnosis is made, before deterioration of clinical status and development of infectious and nutritional complications.
Adult Antilymphocyte Serum