Abdominal complications in pediatric bone marrow transplant recipients

Abdominal problems and catastrophes often complicate the clinical course after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in children. These complications can be grouped into categories of infection, chemotherapy and radiation toxicity, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), recurrent or de novo malignancy, and miscellaneous complications and can involve the hepatobiliary system, pancreas, spleen, gastrointestinal tract, and urinary tract. Infection is common after BMT: the causative organism depends on the changing immunologic state of the recipient and even on environmental factors such as recent construction, humidity, and antibiotic use. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy can cause hepatic veno-occlusive disease, pancreatitis, nephritis, and hemorrhagic cystitis. GVHD is a process in which donor lymphoid cells produce damage to recipient target organs, especially skin, liver, and intestinal mucosa. Recurrent or de novo disease or malignancies, particularly B-cell lymphomas, may develop in chronically immunocompromised children. Other problems include stone disease, splenic and renal infarction, and complications of hyperalimentation therapy. Abdominal imaging, including plain radiography, contrast material-enhanced studies of the bowel, real-time and duplex sonography, and computed tomography, is essential in diagnosing these problems and evaluating response to therapy.