Neuromuscular complications are significant causes of morbidity in children after liver transplantation. This study was performed to evaluate the neuromuscular complications in children after liver transplantation. All children aged less than 18 year who underwent liver transplantation between June 2004 and June 2007 included in this prospective study. There were 30 (62.5%) boys and 18 (37.5%) girls with a mean age of 9.6 years (range, 1-18 year) and a mean duration of follow up of 15.6 months (range, 12-48 months). The most common indications for liver transplantation were biliary atresia (n=12, 25%), Wilson disease (n=7, 14.6%), tyrosinemia (n=7, 14.6%), progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (n=6, 12.5%), and autoimmune cirrhosis (n=5, 10.4%). Twenty-nine (60.4%) patients received graft from living donors and 16 (33.3%) and 3 (6.2%) cases received whole graft and split transplantation from deceased donor. Immunosuppressive medication consisted of tacrolimus (n=44, 91.7%) or cyclosporine (n=4, 8.3%) combined with mycophenolate mofetil (n=33, 68.7%) and prednisolone (n=18, 37.5%). The most common neuromuscular complications were tremor (n=8, 16.7%), convulsion and insomnia (n=6, 12.5%), headache and muscle cramps (n=5, 10.4%) and paresthesia and weakness (n=3, 6.2%). We concluded that the most common neurologic complication after liver transplantation in children in contrast to other studies was tremor just like adult patients and this may be due to higher rate of tacrolimus usage in our patients.
Volume : 6
Issue : 4
Pages : 8
Organ Transplant Center and Transplantation Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran