Antiphospholipid antibodies - Risk assessments for solid organ, bone marrow, and tissue transplantation

The literature describing the outcome of solid-organ, bone marrow, prosthet ic, and tissue grafts for antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) positive patients is reviewed and discussed. Authors of most reports agree that the presence of aPL in transplant candidates or in transplant recipients are cause for concern. A significantly higher percentage of aPL positive patients lose th eir grafts to thrombosis in the first days to weeks posttransplant. Periope rative and postoperative treatment of aPL positive patients with anticoagul ant therapy can reduce or eliminate this thrombotic tendency. Allogeneic, a s opposed to autologous bone marrow transplantation, is by definition a uni que circumstance because the recipient undergoes complete immunological rec onstitution.