Recent studies have shown that a high density of CD 20+ cells are seen in patients who
have steroid-resistant rejection episodes. Rituximab is a high-affinity CD-20 specific
antibody that inhibits B-cell proliferation while inducing cellular apoptosis. Thus, it is a
rational choice for therapy in transplantation to abrogate B-cell-mediated events. Twenty-
seven patients were diagnosed with biopsy-confirmed rejection manifested by thrombotic
microangiopathy and/or endothelialitis between 2/99 and 2/02 at our institution. These …