IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE DRUG-INDUCED LEUKOENCEPHALOPATHY IN PATIENTS WITH LIVER-TRANSPLANT

Organ transplantation has become a practical and effective option for patients with acute and/or chronic irreversible organ disease. However , solid organ transplantation is associated with many different compli cations which depend upon the specific surgical procedure and/or confo unding medical problems (e.g, rejection, infection, adverse effect of immunosuppressive agents) experienced by a given patient. Tacrolimus a nd cyclosporin A are immunosuppressive drugs used to prevent rejection following allogeneic solid organ transplantation. Adverse events are common with both drugs and include long-term organ dysfunction, opport unistic infections, haematopoietic alterations, nephrotoxicity and neu rotoxicity. Neurological complications, both central and peripheral, o ccur in 10-42% of transplant recipients using either of these two immu nosuppressive agents, Two cases of reversible posterior leukoencephalo pathy manifested by headache, nausea and seizures associated with the use of immunosuppressive drugs following liver transplantation are rep orted. (C) 1998 Lippincott-Raven Publishers.