Medical Care in China

Post-transplant rejection
Treatment in China

Provide a clear and complete coordinated pathway from expert assessment to treatment and rehabilitation.

Get a Care Plan and Cost Estimate
Multi-organ transplantationcovers liver, kidney, lung, heart, and combined transplants.
Complex case assessmentprovides a comprehensive evaluation for end-stage and complex organ diseases.
Pediatric transplant supportcovers some complex cases such as pediatric living donor liver transplantation.
Postoperative long-term managementfocuses on rejection, infection, and transplant organ function.

Condition Guide

About Post-transplant rejection

Understand the condition, common triggers and treatment options that may require specialist assessment.

  Disease Introduction

  1. Post-transplant rejection is an immune injury syndrome that occurs after solid organ transplantation when the recipient's immune system recognizes HLA antigens in the allogeneic graft and initiates an immune response to attack the graft. Based on the timing of onset and immune mechanism, it is classified into hyperacute rejection, accelerated rejection, acute rejection (T-cell mediated TCMR, antibody-mediated AMR), and chronic active rejection. It is the leading risk factor for short-term graft failure and long-term functional decline, and can occur in various recipients of liver, kidney, heart, lung, and multiple organ transplants. Subclinical rejection has no obvious symptoms; only laboratory and pathological examinations reveal immune damage, making it easily missed.
  1. Core symptoms: The effects vary depending on the target organ: progressive decline in graft function indicators; may be accompanied by fever, fatigue, and swelling and pain in the transplant area; decreased urine output and increased creatinine in kidney transplants; jaundice and decreased bile output in liver transplants; decreased cardiac function and pulmonary edema in heart transplants; and decreased oxygenation and impaired lung function in lung transplants. Chronic rejection has an insidious onset, manifesting only as a slow and continuous decline in graft function, progressing to irreversible graft fibrosis in the late stage; severe acute rejection can rapidly induce graft failure, endangering life.
  1. Pathological Mechanism: (1) Hyperacute rejection: The recipient has pre-existing donor-specific antibodies (DSA) that bind to the graft endothelial antigen, activating the complement system, leading to widespread microvascular thrombosis and immediate ischemic necrosis of the graft. This usually occurs within minutes to hours after reperfusion. (2) Acute T cell-mediated rejection (TCMR): Receptor T lymphocytes recognize graft allogeneic antigens, activate and infiltrate the graft interstitium and perivascular space, inducing interstitial inflammation and endothelial damage, which is most common from several days to 3 months after surgery. (3) Acute antibody-mediated rejection (AMR): B cells secrete DSA, which binds to the graft vascular endothelium, activates complement and NK cells, causing microvascular inflammation and endothelial damage. It can occur early or late and is the main type of long-term graft loss. (4) Chronic active rejection: continuous low-level alloimmune stimulation, repeated endothelial damage triggers abnormal tissue repair, graft interstitial fibrosis, vascular intimal proliferation and occlusion, such as cardiac graft vascular disease, pulmonary CLAD, chronic transplant kidney nephropathy, presenting as slow irreversible damage.

Cutting-edge high-precision diagnostic and treatment technologies

  1. Non-invasive monitoring technology for donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA): peripheral blood testing, early identification of subclinical rejection, and reduction of the frequency of puncture biopsy.
  2. High-resolution HLA typing + virtual cross-matching + DSA multi-dimensional immune detection technology: accurately assess the recipient's sensitization status and predict AMR risk.
  3. Protein A immunoadsorption and plasma separation in vitro antibody clearance technology: rapidly removes circulating donor-specific antibodies for refractory AMR.
  4. Targeted molecular imaging technology for transplanted grafts: Non-invasive identification of local immune inflammatory lesions in the graft.
  5. Transplant Pathology: Banff Standard High-Throughput Histopathology + Spatial Multi-Omics Detection: Precisely classifies rejection types and assesses damage levels.
  6. Regulatory immune cell-induced immune tolerance technology: Induces antigen-specific low immune response and reduces long-term immune damage.

Care Overview

Post-transplant rejection Treatment in China

The medical team will develop a personalized protocol based on the pathology type, stage, genetic test, previous treatment history, and the patient's physical condition.

Leading Specialists

Trusted Expertise Across Leading Specialties

Lü Fanzhen

Chief Physician, Key Member of Lung Transplant Surgery Team

Organ Transplant

-Research areas : Lung transplant surgery, thoracoscopic lung transplantation; - Areas of expertise: Single/double lung transplantation surgery, perioperative critical care management after lung transplantation; - Diseases specializing in: end-stage bronchiectasis, pneumoconiosis, and late-stage lung damage from paraquat poisoning; - Academic Highlights & Core Values: Undertakes a large amount of clinical work in lung transplantation, deeply involved in optimizing the clinical process of ECMO-bridging lun

Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital (Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University) logo Affiliated Hospital Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital (Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University)
Yang Jiayin

Chief Physician, Doctoral Supervisor, Director of Liver Transplantation Center, Director of General Surgery, Director of Organ Transplantation Center, Director of the National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Transplantation Engineering and Transplantation Immunology

Organ Transplant

-Research areas : Adult DCD liver transplantation, liver transplantation in elderly recipients, multi-organ transplantation, transplant immunology, optimization of perioperative procedures for liver transplantation; safety studies of living donor liver transplantation; quality assessment and preservation of DCD donor livers. - Cutting-edge technologies: ABO incompatible liver transplantation, liver-kidney combined transplantation, transplantation programs for elderly critically ill recipients; pioneering

West China Hospital of Sichuan University logo Affiliated Hospital West China Hospital of Sichuan University
Yan Linan

Director of the Liver Transplant Center & Department of Liver Surgery, Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, Founder of the Discipline, First-Class Expert, Leading Figure in the Field of Liver Transplantation in my country

Organ Transplant

-Research areas : Basic and clinical aspects of liver transplantation, and the development of living donor liver transplantation technology systems. - Cutting-edge technology: A pioneer in adult living donor liver transplantation in mainland China, leading the implementation of more than 1,200 clinical liver transplants and achieving eight leading firsts in liver transplantation technology nationwide; he began performing pediatric living donor liver transplantation in 2001 and performed the first adult li

West China Hospital of Sichuan University logo Affiliated Hospital West China Hospital of Sichuan University
Xia Lei

Chief Physician, Doctoral Supervisor, Deputy Director of Liver Surgery

Organ Transplant

-Research areas : Adult liver transplantation, complex hepatobiliary surgery, combined liver and kidney transplantation; - Areas of expertise: Dual-donor liver transplantation, combined liver and kidney transplantation, and complex hepatobiliary tumor surgery; - Areas of expertise: End-stage cirrhosis, cirrhosis complicated with renal failure, and complex hepatobiliary malignancies; - Academic Highlights & Core Values: Responsible for the clinical system of multi-organ transplantation, handling complex ad

Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine logo Affiliated Hospital Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Wan Ping

Associate Chief Physician, Liver Surgery Expert at Renji Hospital.

Organ Transplant

Research Areas : Pediatric liver transplantation, Kasai procedure for biliary atresia, and complex liver tumor resection, among other pediatric liver surgeries. Cutting-Edge Techniques: Proficient in the surgical treatment of pediatric liver diseases such as biliary atresia, inherited metabolic diseases, cholestasis, and hepatoblastoma, having treated over 1700 cases of various pediatric liver diseases and rare diseases; as a core member of the team, systematically conducting liver transplantation surgery

Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine logo Affiliated Hospital Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Zhan Qingyuan

Chief Physician, Professor, Head of Respiratory Critical Care and ECMO

Organ Transplant

Research areas : perioperative extracorporeal life support during transplantation, ARDS, and post-transplant severe respiratory failure; Cutting-edge technologies: ECMO bridging lung transplantation and treatment of severe respiratory complications after transplantation; Areas of expertise: critical respiratory failure before lung transplantation and primary graft failure after transplantation; Academic highlights: Leading expert in domestic ECMO guidelines; Core value: Establishing standardized treatment

China-Japan Friendship Hospital logo Affiliated Hospital China-Japan Friendship Hospital

Patient Stories

See the Next Step Through Patient Journeys

Restarting the CASE 01
PATIENT JOURNEY

Restarting the "Life Purifier"—An Indonesian Youth's Kidney Miracle Patient records

Organ Transplant

Patient records Name: Adi Age: 28 Nationality: Indonesia Diagnosis: End-stage renal disease (IgA nephropathy) Treatment Hospital: Tongji Hospital Affiliated to Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Wuhan) Freed from the constraints of the dialysis machine, we found him a "matching" new life. Adi, a talented young photographer from Bandung, Indonesia, 28, had captured countless moving moments with his lens. Five years ago, however, he developed gross hematuria after a cold

View case details →
Breaking Free from the CASE 02
PATIENT JOURNEY

Breaking Free from the "Shackles of Breathing"—A Thai Elder's Heartfelt Words Continued in China

Organ Transplant

Patient records Name: Somchai Age: 65 Nationality: Thailand Diagnosis: End-stage idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) Treatment Hospital: China-Japan Friendship Hospital (National Center for Respiratory Medicine) When breathing becomes a luxury, we find him a "new leaf" of life. Somchai, a 65-year-old retired university professor from Chiang Mai, Thailand, was a gentle and refined man. However, at a time when he should have been enjoying his retirement, an "invisible shackle" choked him. He suffered from i

View case details →
Heart Transplant: A Transnational Relay of a CASE 03
PATIENT JOURNEY

Heart Transplant: A Transnational Relay of a "Chinese Heart"—An UAE Patient Finds a Solution for End-Stage Heart Failure in China

Organ Transplant

Patient records Name: Ahmed (pseudonym) Age: 38 Nationality: Dubai, United Arab Emirates Diagnosis: Dilated cardiomyopathy, end-stage heart failure, post-cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT-D) Treatment Hospital: Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology Heart transplantation is the last hope for patients with end-stage heart failure. But when this "heart of hope" needs to be found across borders, patients face not only the complex rules of organ allocation,

View case details →
Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplant: When CASE 04
PATIENT JOURNEY

Pediatric Living Donor Liver Transplant: When "Not Living Past One Year Old" Becomes a Prophecy—A Mongolian Mother's Journey of "Saving Her Son by Donating Part of Her Liver"

Organ TransplantHepatobiliaryPediatrics

Patient records Name: Batbayar (pseudonym) Age: 11 months Nationality: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia Diagnosis: Congenital biliary atresia, decompensated biliary cirrhosis after Kasai procedure. Treatment Hospital: Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University Pediatric living donor liver transplantation is the crown jewel of organ transplantation. It tests not only surgical skills but also a healthcare system's comprehensive capabilities in donor safety, postoperative management, and long-term follow-u

View case details →

Next Step

Get a Care Plan
and Cost Estimate.

Tell us about your diagnosis and needs, and our team will help screen the right hospital and explain the next steps.

Email:goldentcm@163.com

Get a Care Plan and Estimate

Once you submit your information, a member of our support team will reach out to you within one business day.