COVID-19 and Superimposed Aspergillosis in a Dual Organ Recipient with Diagnosed B-Cell Lymphoproliferative Disorder: A Rare Case Report and Literature Review.
Vidna Karadžić-Ristanović, Jelena Pavlović, Voin Brković, Ana Bontić, Marko Baralić, Dragan Vasin, Maja Životić, Novica Boričić, Darko Antić, Vojin Vuković, Milan Radović
Abstract
Open AccessPost-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) poses significant risks following organ transplantation, characterized by potential aggressiveness. This report aims to discuss a case of PTLD presenting as B-cell large-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) post kidney and pancreas transplantation. A 44-year-old female with type 1 diabetes underwent simultaneous cadaver kidney and pancreas transplantation. She presented with fever, night sweats, and weakness, revealing multiple lesions on CT, including in transplanted and native kidneys and pancreas. A biopsy of the transplant kidney confirmed PTLD, DLBCL subtype, with complex immunohistochemical findings. Chemotherapy (R-CHOP) was initiated but complicated by bowel perforation necessitating surgery and antibiotics, transplant renal vein thrombosis, pyelonephritis, and neutropenia. Despite the complications, the normal function of the transplanted kidney was maintained, which made it possible to implement the standard chemotherapy protocol. This case underscores the diagnostic challenges and therapeutic complexities of PTLD, specifically DLBCL, in transplant recipients. The co-infection of COVID-19 and aspergillosis in a multiple immunocompromised patient indicated a possible rapid course of the disease with global respiratory insufficiency and a fatal outcome despite all applied therapeutic modalities.