Patterns of central nervous system complications of post-hematopoietic stem cell transplant in pediatric oncology patients: a single institute experience

Abstract

Background Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) has been increasingly used in the last few decades, with improved success in offering a cure. CNS complications are an important contributor to morbidity and mortality in HSCT patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of imaging in the detection and assessment of CNSC (central nervous system complications) after HSCT in pediatric oncology patients. The study included consecutive pediatric patients who underwent HSCT for hematologic or solid malignancies at CCHE-57357 (Children Cancer Hospital–Egypt 57357) from January 2011 to March 2019. The age of the patients in the study ranged from 0.9 to 25 years (median age 6.5 years). CT (computed tomography) and/or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) studies were evaluated for the detection and characterization of CNSC. Results The incidence of post-HSCT CNSC was 13% with a day 100 and 5-year cumulative incidence of 9.3 and 12.5%, respectively. The most commonly observed CNSC detected was disease recurrence, followed by PRES (Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome). CNS recurrence of the initial diagnosis, atrophy, and infection were more common at the > 100-day post-HSCT transplant period, while PRES was much more common at < 100-day post-HSCT. Conclusion CNS complications are an important contributor to morbidity and mortality in HSCT patients that require MRI protocols distinctively tailored for each patient, clinical suspicion, and proper imaging assessment for early detection and follow-up.

Neuroimaging findings of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) following haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in paediatric recipients

“…The rate is higher in patients with AlloHSCT than in patients with AutoHSCT and reaches up to 70% in some studies [ 7 , 8 ]. In a recently conducted study by Hussein et al, which retrospectively evaluated 525 HSCT recipients, the prevalence was reported to be 13% [ 9 ]. In our study, the prevalence was 7.66% (23/300), which is similar to the rate of 8.67% (26/300) reported by Suxiang Liu et al [ 10 ].…”

“…In the study of Hussein et al, the incidence of PRES in post-HSCT recipients was 3.2%, with the most frequent sites being the occipital and parietal regions in 88.2 and 82.4% of the patients, respectively. In their study, diffusion restriction was observed in 29.4% of the cases ( n = 5), and no significant dark signal on ADC maps associated with pseudonormalization was noted in any of the 5 cases [ 9 ]. In our study, restricted diffusion was demonstrated in 2 of 14 PRES patients, one of whom showed isolated cerebellar vermiş involvement.…”