Liver transplantation — MCQs

A 40-year-old male with a history of chronic alcoholism recently received a liver transplant. Two weeks following the transplant, the patient presents with a skin rash and frequent episodes of bloody diarrhea. A colonoscopy is performed and biopsy reveals apoptosis of colonic epithelial cells. What is most likely mediating these symptoms?

A 50-year-old man presents to a clinic with oliguria. Four weeks ago, he had a kidney transplant. Postoperative follow-up was normal. He is currently on cyclosporine and admits that sometimes he forgets to take his medication. On physical examination, the vital signs include: temperature 37.1°C (98.8°F), blood pressure 165/110 mm Hg, heart rate 80/min, and respiratory rate 16/min. There is mild tenderness on renal palpation. His serum creatinine level is 4 mg/dL, well above his baseline level after the transplant. Which of the following best describes the histological finding if a biopsy is taken from the transplanted kidney?

A 61-year-old-male underwent deceased donor liver transplantation 3 weeks ago. During his follow up visit he complains of nausea and abdominal pain. He has been taking all of his medications as prescribed. He has a history of alcohol abuse and his last drink was one year ago. He does not smoke cigarettes and lives at home with his wife. On physical examination temperature is 98.6°F (37°C), blood pressure is 115/80 mmHg, pulse is 90/min, respirations are 18/min, and pulse oximetry is 99% on room air. He has scleral icterus and a positive fluid wave. Liver function tests are as follows: Alkaline phosphatase: 110 U/L Aspartate aminotransferase (AST, GOT): 100 U/L Alanine aminotransferase (ALT, GPT): 120 U/L Bilirubin total: 2.2 mg/dL Liver biopsy shows mixed dense interstitial lymphocytic infiltrates in the portal triad. What is the mechanism of this reaction?

A 28-year-old woman comes to the physician for a follow-up examination. Two months ago, she underwent left renal transplantation for recurrent glomerulonephritis. At the time of discharge, her creatinine was 0.9 mg/dL. She feels well. Current medications include tacrolimus and azathioprine. Her pulse is 85/min and blood pressure is 135/75 mmHg. Physical examination shows a well-healed surgical scar on her left lower abdomen. The remainder of the examination shows no abnormalities. The patient should be monitored for which of the following adverse effects of her medications?

A 57-year-old man presents to the emergency department with fatigue. He states that his symptoms started yesterday and have been worsening steadily. The patient endorses a recent weight loss of 7 pounds this past week and states that he feels diffusely itchy. The patient has a past medical history of alcohol abuse, obesity, asthma, and IV drug use. His current medications include metformin, atorvastatin, albuterol, and fluticasone. In addition, the patient admits to smoking and drinking more than usual lately due to the stress he has experienced. His temperature is 98.7°F (37.1°C), blood pressure is 130/75 mmHg, pulse is 90/min, respirations are 15/min, and oxygen saturation is 98% on room air. Physical exam is notable for an ill-appearing man. The patient's skin appears yellow. Abdominal exam is notable for right upper quadrant tenderness. Cardiac and pulmonary exams are within normal limits. Laboratory values are ordered as seen below: Hemoglobin: 14 g/dL Hematocrit: 42% Leukocyte count: 5,500 cells/mm^3 with normal differential Platelet count: 70,000/mm^3 Partial thromboplastin time: 92 seconds Prothrombin time: 42 seconds AST: 1110 U/L ALT: 990 U/L Which of the following is most likely to be found in this patient's history?

A 47-year-old woman presents to the physician with complaints of fatigue accompanied by symmetric pain, swelling, and stiffness in her wrists, fingers, knees, and other joints. She describes the stiffness as being particularly severe upon awakening, but gradually improves as she moves throughout her day. Her physician initially suggests that she take NSAIDs. However, after a few months of minimal symptomatic improvement, she is prescribed an immunosuppressive drug that has a mechanism of preventing IL-2 transcription. What is the main toxicity that the patient must be aware of with this particular class of drugs?

A 14-year-old boy has undergone kidney transplantation due to stage V chronic kidney disease. A pre-transplantation serologic assessment showed that he is negative for past or present HIV infection, viral hepatitis, EBV, and CMV infection. He has a known allergy for macrolides. The patient has no complaints 1 day after transplantation. His vital signs include: blood pressure 120/70 mm Hg, heart rate 89/min, respiratory rate 17/min, and temperature 37.0°C (98.6°F). On physical examination, the patient appears to be pale, his lungs are clear on auscultation, heart sounds are normal, and his abdomen is non-tender on palpation. His creatinine is 0.65 mg/dL (57.5 µmol/L), GFR is 71.3 mL/min/1.73 m2, and urine output is 0.9 mL/kg/h. Which of the following drugs should be used in the immunosuppressive regimen in this patient?

A 45-year-old man is brought to the emergency department because of a 1-day history of malaise and abdominal pain. Six weeks ago, he had vomiting and watery diarrhea for 2 days that resolved without treatment. Twelve weeks ago, he underwent orthotopic liver transplantation for alcoholic cirrhosis. At the time of discharge, his total serum bilirubin concentration was 1.0 mg/dL. He stopped drinking alcohol one year ago. His current medications include daily tacrolimus, prednisone, valganciclovir, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. His temperature is 37.7°C (99.9°F), pulse is 95/min, and blood pressure is 150/80 mm Hg. He appears uncomfortable and has mild jaundice. Examination shows scleral icterus. The abdomen is soft and tender to deep palpation over the right upper quadrant, where there is a well-healed surgical scar. His leukocyte count is 2500/mm3, serum bilirubin concentration is 2.6 mg/dL, and serum tacrolimus concentration is within therapeutic range. Which of the following is the next appropriate step in diagnosis?

A 54-year-old man with known end-stage liver disease from alcoholic cirrhosis presents to the emergency department with decreased urinary output and swelling in his lower extremities. His disease has been complicated by ascites and hepatic encephalopathy in the past. Initial laboratory studies show a creatinine of 1.73 mg/dL up from a previous value of 1.12 one month prior. There have been no new medication changes, and no recent procedures performed. A diagnostic paracentesis is performed that is negative for infection, and he is admitted to the hospital for further management and initiated on albumin. Two days later, his creatinine has risen to 2.34 and he is oliguric. Which of the following is the most definitive treatment for this patient's condition?

A 37-year-old man who had undergone liver transplantation 7 years ago, presents to the physician because of yellowish discoloration of the skin, sclera, and urine. He is on regular immunosuppressive therapy and is well-adherent to the treatment. He has no comorbidities and is not taking any other medication. He provides a history of similar episodes of yellowish skin discoloration 6–7 times since he underwent liver transplantation. Physical examination shows clinical jaundice. Laboratory studies show: While blood cell (WBC) count 4,400/mm3 Hemoglobin 11.1 g/dL Serum creatinine 0.9 mg/dL Serum bilirubin (total) 44 mg/dL Aspartate transaminase (AST) 1,111 U/L Alanine transaminase (ALT) 671 U/L Serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase 777 U/L Alkaline phosphatase 888 U/L Prothrombin time 17 seconds A Doppler ultrasound shows significantly reduced blood flow into the transplanted liver. A biopsy of the transplanted liver is likely to show which of the following histological features?