Table 3.
Comparisons of characteristics of pediatric LT recipients based on Banff criteria for acute rejection grade observed in 10-year post-transplantation protocol biopsy.
| Variables | Banff criteria for acute rejection | P-value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAI 0 (n = 34) | RAI 1–2 (n = 23) | RAI ≥ 3 (n = 9) | ||
| Recipient sex (Male, %) | 12 (35.3%) | 13 (56.5%) | 5 (55.6%) | 0.133 |
| Median recipient age (months) | 11.0 (13.4) | 17.6 (14.5) | 8.2 (107.5) | 0.345 |
| Donor sex (Male, %) | 21 (61.8%) | 14 (60.9%) | 6 (66.7%) | 0.851 |
| Median donor age (years) | 32.5 (5) | 31.0 (7) | 33.0 (11) | 0.889 |
| ABO non-identical (%) | 8 (23.5%) | 7 (30.4%) | 3 (33.3%) | 0.484 |
| ABO incompatible (%) | 1 (2.9%) | 1 (4.3%) | — | 0.808 |
| Laboratory results at the time of LT | ||||
| Median TB (mg/dL) | 16.2 (16.0) | 14.3 (14.2) | 9.2 (15.5) | 0.736 |
| Mean albumin (g/dL) | 3.02 ± 0.70 | 3.08 ± 0.67 | 3.06 ± 0.61 | 0.938 |
| Median PT/INR | 1.36 (0.45) | 1.29 (0.54) | 1.30 (0.32) | 0.845 |
| Median serum creatinine (mg/dL) | 0.42 (0.33) | 0.44 (0.38) | 0.45 (0.45) | 0.873 |
| Median PELD score | 14 (15) | 11 (14) | 11.5 (10) | 0.500 |
| Median biopsy interval (months) | 133.0 (15.0) | 129.2 (14.7) | 134.2 (18.4) | 0.901 |
| Mean trough FK of entire period, median (ng/mL) | 3.25 (1.05) | 3.47 (2.17) | 3.19 (2.62) | 0.235 |
| Mean number of tests for FK, median | 108 (32) | 135 (59) | 103 (57) | 0.080 |
| Mean TB of entire period, median (mg/dL) | 0.61 (0.36) | 0.55 (0.34) | 0.53 (0.61) | 0.736 |
| Experience of rejection (n, %) | 10 (29.4%) | 14 (60.9%) | 5 (55.6%) | 0.039 |
| Experience of biliary complication (n/%) | 3 (8.8%) | 2 (8.7%) | — | 0.474 |
| Experience of PTLD (n/%) | 2 (5.9%) | 6 (26.1%) | 1 (11.1%) | 0.229 |
| Events with AST/ALT > 50 U/L, median | 3 (7) | 6 (8) | 6 (7) | 0.061 |
| Events with AST/ALT > 100 U/L, median | 1 (3) | 2 (6) | 2 (2) | 0.320 |
| Laboratory results at biopsy | ||||
| Median TB (mg/dL, IQR) | 0.5 (0.6) | 0.5 (0.6) | 0.5 (0.6) | 0.970 |
| Median AST (U/L, IQR) | 22 (12) | 26 (24) | 29 (30.5) | 0.248 |
| Median ALT (U/L, IQR) | 15 (10) | 21 (33) | 20 (47) | 0.042* |
| Median GGT (U/L, IQR) | 20 (20.5) | 24 (44) | 26 (88) | 0.382 |
| Median creatinine (g/dL, IQR) | 0.54 (0.12) | 0.56 (0.27) | 0.53 (0.67) | 0.434 |
| Median IgG level (mg/dL, IQR) | 1036 (306) | 1152 (466) | 1185 (720) | 0.596 |
| Positive for FANA (n/%) | 8 (23.5%) | 10 (43.5%) | 4 (44.4%) | 0.115 |
| Positive for AMA (n/%) | 2 (5.9%) | — | 1 (11.1%) | 0.911 |
| Positive for SMA (n/%) | 2 (5.9%) | 2 (8.7%) | — | 0.728 |
| Positive for any autoantibodies (n/%) | 10 (29.4%) | 11 (47.8%) | 4 (44.4%) | 0.220 |
Rejection activity index RAI, Interquartile range IQR, Liver transplantation LT, Total bilirubin TB, Prothrombin time/international normalized ratio PT/INR, Post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disease PTLD, Aspartate aminotransferase AST, Alanine aminotransferase ALT, Gamma glutamyl transferase GGT, Fluorescent antinuclear antibody FANA, Anti-mitochondrial antibody AMA, Smooth muscle antibody SMA.
*P = 0.012 by Mann-Whiteney test between RAI = 0 and RAI = 1–2 groups.