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Updated: Nov 5, 2025

Small Bowel Transplantation In Mice
Published on: August 20, 2007
Paraneoplastic pemphigus associated with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder after small bowel
Sander A R Fidder1, Marieke C Bolling2, Gilles F H Diercks2
1Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Background:
PNP is a malignancy-associated autoimmune mucocutaneous syndrome due to autoantibodies against plakins, desmogleins, and other components of the epidermis and basement membrane of epithelial tissues. PNP-causing malignancies comprise mainly lymphoproliferative and hematologic neoplasms. PNP is extremely rare, especially in children.
Methods:
Here, we present the first case of a child who developed PNP on a PTLD after small bowel transplantation because of a severe genetic protein-losing enteropathy.
Results:
The patient in this case report had a severe stomatitis, striate palmoplantar keratoderma, and lichenoid skin lesions. In addition, she had marked esophageal involvement. She had lung pathology due to recurrent pulmonary infections and ventilator injury. Although we found no evidence of BO, she died from severe pneumonia and respiratory failure at the age of 12 years.
Conclusion:
It is exceptional that, despite effective treatment of the PTLD, the girl survived 5 years after her diagnosis of PNP. We hypothesize that the girl survived relatively long after the PNP diagnosis due to strong T-cell suppressive treatments for her small bowel transplantation.

