Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Liver Transplant (Expert Forum)
biopsy after transplant
Answered by
Thomas D Schiano, MD - Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology, Liver Transplantation, Hepatology
The Mount Sinai Medical Center
New York - NY
Questions posted in the Liver Transplant . Forum are answered by medical professionals from The Mount Sinai Medical Center.
biopsy after transplant
by pankaj8k, May 12, 2009 01:37AM
Dear Sir,
My son (9 yrs now) went thrrough Liver Transplant on June 3rd, 2008. He was CMV positive 3 months post transplant and his biopsy was done and no abnormality was found. Now doctor says that it is mandatory to go for biopsy again 1 year post transplant.Could you please tell me if it is really necessary, all his liver tests are normal like alt and ast are 29 and 19 respectively and normal since last 4 months. Only globulin is fluctuating between 4.5 and 5gm/dl( normal range is between 1.8 - 3.6) .Also his IgG is elvated 2300 mg/de ( normal range between 650-1600). Also he is recently detected EBV positive.
Please let me know if biopsy at this stage is required and it is a general practice to get biopsy after one year post transplant. Also will it give some guidelines to treat EBV positive and elevated IgG and Globilin
My son (9 yrs now) went thrrough Liver Transplant on June 3rd, 2008. He was CMV positive 3 months post transplant and his biopsy was done and no abnormality was found. Now doctor says that it is mandatory to go for biopsy again 1 year post transplant.Could you please tell me if it is really necessary, all his liver tests are normal like alt and ast are 29 and 19 respectively and normal since last 4 months. Only globulin is fluctuating between 4.5 and 5gm/dl( normal range is between 1.8 - 3.6) .Also his IgG is elvated 2300 mg/de ( normal range between 650-1600). Also he is recently detected EBV positive.
Please let me know if biopsy at this stage is required and it is a general practice to get biopsy after one year post transplant. Also will it give some guidelines to treat EBV positive and elevated IgG and Globilin
Doctor's Answer
by Thomas D Schiano, MD, May 18, 2009 06:28PM
, May 18, 2009 06:28PM
this sounds like a protocol biopsy but frankly its not unreasonable in the pediatric setting because of the EBV issue and some times a chronic hepatitis can develop and smolder and cause significant liver damage over time. an elevated IgG might be seen in this setting.
