He. Corey et al., IMPROVED RENAL-ALLOGRAFT SURVIVAL IN CHILDREN TREATED WITH FK-506 (TACROLIMUS) RESCUE THERAPY, Pediatric nephrology, 10(6), 1996, pp. 720-722
FK 506 has been reported to be effective in reversing acute renal allo
graft rejection that is resistant to steroids and to OKT3. The contrib
ution of FK 506 ''rescue'' therapy to long-term graft survival has not
been determined. We report 23 children transplanted between January 1
993 and December 1994, 10 of whom received FK 506 ''rescue'' therapy.
Acute rejection was reversed in 8 of 10, with 7 of the remaining graft
s still functioning after a mean follow-up of 10.9 +/- 7.8 (SD) months
(range 1 - 26 months). The actuarial 1-year graft survival rate was 8
6% compared with 66% for historical controls (P < 0.05). We conclude t
hat FK 506 may provide long-term benefits to children facing allograft
loss due to acute rejection.