Sinunasal ultrastructure of the transplant hematopoietic stem cell and chronic graft-versus-host disease with rhinosinusitis

Background It is believed that immunosuppression is the sole cause for the occurrence of rhinosinusitis in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). There is a high incidence of sinusitis in recipient’s patients, especially those with Chronic Graft Versus Host disease (GVHD). Histopathological abnormalities were described in recipient’s sinus mucosa comparing to the immunocompetents patients. There are also mucosal abnormalities related to the cytotoxicity in the transplanted patients with chronic GVHD, but no difference in ultrastructure between HSCT patients with and without GVHD, except increased goblet cells in patients without GVHD. The relation between the sinunasal mucosa abnormalities of patients with and without GVHD and rhinosinusitis is not well established yet.