Hepatic veno-occlusive disease

Hepatic veno-occlusive disease or veno-occlusive disease (VOD) or  Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome (SOS) is a condition in which some of the small veins in the liver are obstructed. It is marked by weight gain due to fluid retention, increased liver size, and raised levels of bilirubin in the blood.

The name sinusoidal obstruction syndrome is now preferred if VOD happens as a result of chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation.

Apart from chemotherapy, VOD may also occur after ingestion of certain plant alkaloids such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids (in some herbal teas), and has been described as part of a rare hereditary disease called hepatic venoocclusive disease with immunodeficiency (which results from mutations in the gene coding for a protein called SP110).

Along with graft versus host disease (GVHD) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, veno-occlusive disease (VOD) is one of the most frequently encountered serious complications after stem cell transplantation. The reported overall incidence rate of veno-occlusive disease ranges from 5% to more than 60% in children who have undergone stem cell transplantation, and similar rates have been reported in adults.

Hepatic veno-occlusive disease or veno-occlusive disease is a condition in which some of the small veins in the liver are obstructed. It is a complication of high-dose chemotherapy given before a bone marrow transplant and is marked by weight gain due to fluid retention, increased liver size, and raised levels of bilirubin in the blood. The name sinusoidal obstruction syndrome is now preferred if VOD happens as a result of chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation.
Apart from chemotherapy, VOD may also occur after ingestion of certain plant alkaloids such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids, and has been described as part of a rare hereditary disease called hepatic venoocclusive disease with immunodeficiency.