PANCREATITIS POST-BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

Pancreatitis has been reported as a rare complication after bone marro w transplantation (BMT). This paper reports a series of three cases of pancreatitis post-BMT and reviews the literature. Pancreatitis occurr ed in three of 68 (4.4%) of BMT cases in our transplant program. The e tiology of such cases is multifactorial and includes drugs, graft-vers us-host disease, infection, cholecystitis, and the lipid in total pare nteral nutrition. Pancreatitis should be included in the differential diagnosis of abdominal pain post-PMT. The development of a pancreatic pseudocyst in an immunocompromised host may require surgical drainage since infected pseudocysts are not drained adequately by radiologicall y guided techniques.