Characterization of rejection in orthotopic liver transplantation in the dog. III. Anatomo-pathological findings
Bacchella, T.; Machado, M.C.; da Cunha, J.E.; Behmer, O.A.; Duarte, M.I.
Revista do Hospital das Clinicas 39(5): 215-222
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0041-8781 PMID: 6398901 Document Number: 233971
In 14 dogs submitted to orthotopic liver transplantation with or without immunosuppression with corticosteroids, 6-mercaptopurine, azathioprine and antilymphocytic globulin, the pathologic aspects were evaluated. Survival times in the present series ranged from 5-27 days. All the animals were submitted to postmortem examination when liver specimens were obtained for histopathologic study. At postmortem examination, macroscopic diagnosis of liver rejection was possible in 57.1% of the animals. Evidence of digestive bleeding, of hemorrhagic gastroduodenal ulceration or hemorrhagic enteritis were found in 64.3% or the necropsies. The incidence of infections, complications represented by pneumonitis, peritonitis, hepatic abscesses, cholangitis and surgical wound infection was of 85.7%. Liver histopathologic findings in all the animals consisted for varying degrees of portal and sinusoidal lymphoplasmocytic infiltrate, centrolobular hepatocellular necrosis, venous and arterial lesions, intrahepatic bile duct epithelial lesions, cholangitis and biliary thrombi, findings characteristic of liver rejection in dogs.