Liver transplantation for intractable pruritus is contraindicated before an adequate trial of opiate antagonist therapy

James Neuberger, EA Jones

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

42 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A woman with stage III (pre-cirrhotic) primary biliary cirrhosis was referred for liver transplantation because of intractable pruritus. Oral administration of 50 mg naltrexone precipitated a severe opioid withdrawal-like reaction. Subsequently, when oral naltrexone therapy was reintroduced following a cautious infusion of naloxone, no reaction occurred and the pruritus resolved completely. Liver transplantation should not be considered for apparently intractable pruritus of cholestasis before an adequate trial of opiate antagonist therapy.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1393-1394
Number of pages2
JournalEuropean Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Volume13
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2001

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