Kessler B H, Cochran W J, Wagner M L, Hawkins H K, Klish W J
Texas Children's Hospital, Houston.
J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1988 Mar-Apr;7(2):288-92. doi: 10.1097/00005176-198803000-00022.
Bone marrow transplantation is an accepted form of treatment for aplastic anemia and end-stage hematological malignancies. Despite a satisfactory outcome in selected patients, more than one-half develop acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), characterized typically by involvement of the skin, liver, and gastrointestinal tract. We describe an unusual case in which a 10-year-old girl developed gastrointestinal symptoms as the only manifestation of GVHD. The patient presented with a rectovaginal fistula and had clinical, radiological, and histological features of gastrointestinal GVHD without evidence of liver or skin involvement.