Background

Skin chronic rejection (CR) in vascularized composite allotransplantation has not been included in the Banff classification yet. We report a face-transplant patient who developed cutaneous clinicopathologic changes suggestive of CR.

Methods

The recipient was a 27-year-old man with severe disfigurement of the lower face due to a pyrotechnic explosion. He received a facial allograft, including mandible, cheeks, lips, and chin, in November 2009. Immunosuppression included antithymocyte globulins and bone-marrow infusion then steroids, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil.

Results

During the first posttransplant year the acute rejection episodes were characterized by reversible oedema and erythema of the graft. Subsequently, the patient developed primary asymptomatic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, followed by EBV+ B-cell lymphoma and hepatic EBV-associated posttransplant smooth muscle tumors; therefore, the immunosuppressive treatment was greatly reduced. Since the second posttransplant year, the allografted facial skin became progressively sclerotic and presented pigmented macules on a background of hypopigmentation and teleangiectasias, resulting in a poikilodermatous aspect. Skin biopsies showed epidermal atrophy, basal cell vacuolization, and diffuse dermal sclerosis in the absence of significant dermal cell infiltration. The dermal capillaries showed thickened walls and narrowed lumina, whereas the large vessels did not show significant alterations. Neither donor-specific antibodies nor vascular Cd4 deposits were detected.