Comparison of Acute Rejection in Sensitized (“Domino”) and Unsensitized Donor Hearts following Heterotopic Transplantation

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Right cervical heart transplantation was performed in 18 mongrel dogs. Three experimental groups (6 dogs in each) were set up. Group I and II dogs received unsensitized donor hearts, while Group III dogs received the potentially sensitized native hearts of Group I and II dogs, following final rejection episodes in those animals. We call the transplantation of a native heart out of a previous recipient “domino” transplantation. Immunosuppression consisted of standard triple-drug therapy in all dogs. Groups II and III received, additionally, high-dose steroids during acute rejection episodes. The donor hearts were assessed daily via transmural biventricular biopsy (graded according to Billingham's criteria), and these results were compared with results of daily cytoimmunologic monitoring (n=259 for activation-index), used as a noninvasive method. Supplementally, antimyosin scintigraphy (n=25, heart-to-lung ratio) was employed for rejection diagnosis. The rejection type was determined by calculating T-cell/B-cell ratios with the aid of fluorescein-conjugated monoclonal antibodies.

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