Pneumatosis intestinalis after thoracic organ transplantation in children: A case series and review of the literature.

Daniel Atwood, Amanda Nelson, Rachel Rosen, Paul Esteso, Gary Visner, Levent Midyat

Journal: Clinical transplantation 2022;36(6):e14654

PMID: 35347762

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Abstract

Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) is a rare complication after thoracic organ transplantation. There are several theories for explaining the pathophysiology of this disease. In this paper, we highlight three cases of PI in a single pediatric center, one after lung transplantation and two after heart transplantation. Although the presentations differed, all cases improved with non-surgical therapies. There are not many articles in the pediatric literature about post-transplantation PI, and there are still many questions regarding the incidence, etiology, and treatment for this disease.

Address: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

DOI: 10.1111/ctr.14654