An Analysis of Hepatic Venocclusive Disease and Centrilobular Hepatic Degeneration Following Bone Marrow Transplantation

In order to assess the prevalence of venocclusive disease in autopsied recipients of bone marrow transplantation, we reviewed coded liver histology from 204 consecutive autopsied recipients transplanted for leukemia (142), other malignancies (5), or aplastic anemia (57). Twenty-seven patients with leukemia, 2 with carcinoma, and 3 with aplasia had venocclusive disease and survived 2-86 days post-transplant. Early lesions showed subintimal edema and hemorrhage within small central venules and centrilobular congestion with hepatocyte degeneration. Later lesions showed subtotal to complete fibrous obliteration of the central venule lumina and centrilobular sinusoidal fibrosis. Thirteen patients had a subclinical course, and 19 were symptomatic. Venocclusive disease was life-threatening or lethal in 13. Typical symptoms developed 1-3 wk post-transplant and consisted of sudden weight gain, hepatic enlargement, ascites, high bilirubin, and encephalopathy. Statistical analyses showed a significantly higher prevalence of venocclusive disease associated with transplantation for leukemia (P = 0.014), pretransplant conditioning with more rigorous chemoradiotherapy regimens (P < 0.001) and three- to fourfold increase of venocclusive disease in patients whose conditioning included dimethyl busulfan (P < 0.005). Abnormal liver tests before transplant were also more prevalent among patients with venocclusive disease. No factors predicted the clinical outcome of established venocclusive disease. Venocclusive disease showed no association with hepatic graft-versus-host disease even among prolonged cases with severe periportal hepatitis and cholestasis. Other centrilobular lesions (hepatocyte degeneration, sinusoidal fibrosis, and phlebosclerosis) were identified in 23 patients. These non-specific changes may occur with viral hepatitis, graft-versus-host disease or chemoradiotherapy effects.