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Failure of ursodeoxycholic acid to prevent acute cellular rejection after liver transplantation
G P Pageaux1, P Blanc, P F Perrigault
1Service d'Hépato-gastroentérologie, Hôpital Saint-Eloi, Montpellier, France.
Background/Aims:
Acute rejection is still a major problem after liver transplantation. Ursodeoxycholic acid has beneficial effects in cholestasis by reducing the expression of major histocompatibility complex antigens.
Methods:
We have performed a double-blind randomised study comparing ursodeoxycholic acid with placebo for the prevention of acute cellular rejection after liver transplantation. Twenty-six patients received ursodeoxycholic acid 600 mg per day and 24 patients received placebo for 2 months.
Results:
Neither rejection incidence nor rejection severity was significantly different in the two groups (p > 0.90).
Conclusions:
We conclude that adjuvant ursodeoxycholic acid administration does not prevent rejection after liver transplantation.