title: Efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin treatment in refractory uveitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the efficacy of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy in patients with severe uveitis otherwise unresponsive to conventional immunomodulatory agents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on five consecutive patients treated with IVIg and followed to the present time by one of the authors (CSF) were reviewed. All patients had severe and recalcitrant uveitis of diverse etiologies. Main outcome measures were control of intraocular inflammation, steroid-sparing effect, visual acuity, and side effects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The duration of IVIg therapy was 3 to 36 months (mean, 16.8 months). Treatment was effective in controlling the intraocular inflammation in 3 of 5 patients. One of those patients required maintenance of systemic steroids at a dose of 10 mg per day. Visual acuity has stabilized or improved in these three patients. No immediate or long-term side effect was observed in any of the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravenous immunoglobulin therapy was an effective therapeutic modality in the treatment of three of five patients with severe uveitis that was unresponsive to conventional immunomodulatory agent(s). No adverse events were observed.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sumru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Onal
authors.forename: C Stephen
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: A Razzaque
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Ahmed
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004351:Drug Resistance; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D014606:Uveitis, Anterior / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014792:Visual Acuity
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D016756:Immunoglobulins, Intravenous; D007155:Immunologic Factors