Graft‐versus‐host disease of the central nervous system after liver transplantation: A rare complication

Graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) of the central nervous system (CNS) following solid organ transplantation is a rare but serious complication and has been previously reported after bone marrow transplantation. GVHD after liver transplantation is a rare entity with a high mortality rate. We report the case of a patient who developed GVHD and subsequently had seizures and altered mental status after deceased donor liver transplantation. The diagnosis of GVHD of the CNS was established by short tandem repeat loci analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid using the polymerase chain reaction technique and gene mapping software. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of CNS‐GVHD following liver transplantation. He eventually died of sepsis and multiorgan failure, in keeping with the overall poor prognosis of CNS‐GVHD. Graft‐versus‐host disease of the central nervous system following liver transplantation is a rare complication that can be diagnosed by short tandem repeat analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid, but is often life‐threatening, in keeping with the overall poor prognosis of this disease.