Prevention of fetal growth retardation by buffy-coat transfusions--a case report

A case is described with two previous unsuccessful pregnancies (one missed abortion and one severe fetal intrauterine growth retardation ending in fetal death). Examination showed that the patient and her husband each share one antigen of the HLA-A and -B series. In spite of two previous pregnancies the patient had no lymphocytotoxic antibodies. The patient then received 5 buffy-coat-pool transfusions and the sera reacted with an increasing number of panel cells (Fig. 1). A mature healthy infant was born at term. We consider that the cytotoxic antibodies achieved, took over a protective function for the later undisturbed progress of the pregnancy. This may be a possible way of preventing intrauterine growth retardation caused by immunologic factors.