Gastrointestinal graft-versus-host disease in man

Abstract

Evaluation of the diagnostic utility of the rectal biopsy in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), using the crypt abscess as a major diagnostic criterion, was based on 52 patients who had received marrow allografts for leukemia or aplastic anemia. Thirty-six of these patients had acute GVHD by skin biopsy criteria. These 36 patients demonstrated a strong association of the rectal crypt abscess with severity of clinical GVHD. High stool volume also correlated strongly with the crypt abscess. Patients without clear evidence of GVHD usually had normal rectal histology. Serial studies showed a good correlation of rectal biopsy results with the clinical course of acute GVHD. Patients with chronic GVHD had rectal muosal damage only during the acute phase. Rectal histology at autopsy reflected ileal and cecal disease accurately. The rectal biopsy is a useful adjunct to serial skin biopsies in the diagnosis of GVHD in man.