INDUCTION IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE THERAPY IS ASSOCIATED WITH A LOW REJECTION RATE AFTER LIVER-TRANSPLANTATION

Despite advances in immunosuppression, allograft rejection occurs freq uently after liver transplantation. The use of induction therapy with cytolytic antibodies may decrease the frequency of rejection in liver transplant recipients, but may also increase the rate of cytomegalovir us (CMV) infection. It has been our center's strategy to use induction therapy in our liver transplant recipients. To determine the outcome of our strategy, we retrospectively reviewed all liver transplants per formed in the first 5 yr of our liver transplant program. The frequenc y of acute rejection in the first year after liver transplantation was only 34% in patients who received induction therapy. The type of indu ction therapy antibody did not affect the rejection rate. Clinically s ignificant CMV infection (requiring treatment) occurred in 22% of pati ents, These results suggest that use of induction therapy with cytolyt ic antibodies does not lead to a high incidence of CMV infection and d ecreases the incidence of rejection after liver transplantation.