Recurrent, progressive giant cell hepatitis in two consecutive liver allografts in a middle-aged woman

In this report, we present a 41-year-old woman who developed rapidly progressive "giant cell hepatitis" that lead to end-stage liver disease. She underwent a successful liver transplantation in 1989. However, the giant cell hepatitis recurred in the allograft, resulting in cirrhosis within 4 years. She underwent a second liver transplantation in 1993. After 2 years of a relatively stable course, she again developed cirrhosis and was awaiting liver transplantation at the time of this report. The histopathologic features in the two allografts were identical to her original disease. Despite extensive investigations, no etiology for her liver disease could be found.