Tooth Extraction in a Hepatic Cirrhosis Patient Receiving the Novel Oral Thrombopoietin Receptor Agonist Lusutrombopag

Abstract

Lusutrombopag was administered to a patient with thrombocytopenia due to chronic liver disease before an invasive procedure. Lusutrombopag, the first drug of its kind, was developed to improve platelet count thereby, avoiding the need for platelet transfusion. Lusutrombopag is potentially effective for the management of haemostasis during invasive procedures, such as tooth extraction. Herein, we present a case of tooth extraction surgery in a patient treated with lusutrombopag. The patient was a 63-year-old woman suffering from thrombocytopenia due to liver cirrhosis. Tooth extraction was indicated by the diagnosis of caries and apical periodontitis of the maxillary left second molar. Mild spontaneous bleeding in the surrounding gum tissue and a reduced platelet count (5.1 × 104 /μL) were observed. Haemostatic difficulties were predicted to accompany tooth extraction surgery. Consultation with a gastroenterology clinic led us to implement lusutrombopag prior to the procedure. The patient’s platelet count had risen to 10.9 × 104 /μL by the day of the surgery. Neither intraoperative nor postoperative bleeding was observed. No adverse events associated with lusutrombopag administration were observed. Lusutrombopag can increase platelet count, suggesting its utility in invasive procedures such as tooth extraction.

Keywords

• liver cirrhosis
• periodontitis
• platelet
• thrombocytopenia