Malignancy Please click on the appropriate book or link above to learn more about life post-transplant.
Chronic rejection is characterized by a narrowing and obliteration of the small bronchioles.
These are the smallest of the airways, through which air travels in to and out of the alveolar sacs. Chronic rejection may occur at any time after the first few months, but it usually is seen after the first few years. This is why we aggressively treat such episodes in the early post-transplant period. Clinically, BO is manifested by a drop in the patient's spirometry and by subsequent shortness of breath. Patients who develop chronic rejection are also at greater risk for the development of lung infections.