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    MedGenMed. 2006 May 3;8(2):30.

    Recurrent primary biliary cirrhosis after liver transplantation--the disease and its management.

    Schreibman I, Regev A.

    Center for Liver Diseases, Division of Hepatology, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.

    Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a chronic cholestatic liver disease characterized by the destruction of interlobular and septal bile ducts that can lead to fibrosis and cirrhosis. Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) remains the definitive treatment for decompensated liver disease secondary to PBC. An estimated 10% to 40% of patients develop clinical, biochemical, and histologic changes consistent with recurrent PBC after OLT. However, the presence of recurrent PBC does not appear to affect either graft or patient survival rates. There is conflicting evidence regarding the effect of specific immunosuppressant medications (eg, tacrolimus vs cyclosporine) on the risk of recurrent PBC. Most experts favor the use of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) for recurrent PBC given its beneficial effect in patients with pretransplant PBC and its improvement of biochemical markers in the posttransplant setting. However, despite its potential benefit, there is no evidence that UDCA improves graft or patient survival in recurrent PBC.

    PMID: 16926769 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

    PMCID: PMC1785210

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    Patient drug information

    • Cyclosporine (Neoral®, Sandimmune®, Gengraf®)

      Cyclosporine and cyclosporine (modified) are used with other medications to prevent transplant rejection (attack of the transplanted organ by the immune system of the person who received the organ) in people who have rec...

    • Tacrolimus (Prograf®)

      Tacrolimus is used along with other medications to prevent rejection (attack of a transplanted organ by the immune system of a person receiving the organ) in people who have received kidney, liver, or heart transplants. ...

    • Ursodiol (Actigall®)

      Ursodiol is used to dissolve gallstones in patients who do not want surgery or cannot have surgery to remove gallstones. Ursodiol is also used to prevent the formation of gallstones in overweight patients who are losing ...