title: Intraocular use of rituximab.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the toxicity of 1 mg of intraocular rituximab and to present a small case-series of patients treated with intravitreal rituximab.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rituximab (1 mg/0.1 ml) was injected in the vitreous of one eye of three Dutch-belted rabbits. Two animals were injected with balanced salt solution as controls. At 1 month the rabbits were killed and the eyes examined by light microscopy. Three patients (five eyes) with intraocular lymphoma were also treated with a 1 mg injection of rituximab.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The treated rabbit eyes and the control eyes showed no light microscopic evidence of ocular toxicity at 1 month following injection. The five human eyes of three patients have shown no evidence of intraocular toxicity with a median follow-up time of 3.6 months (range 2.0-6.4 months). One patient received a total of four injections in the right eye and three injections in the left eye.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravitreal rituximab at a dose of 1 mg does not appear to cause toxicity in rabbit eyes and in the five eyes of three patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kitzmann
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Pulido
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Mohney
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Baratz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Grube
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Marler
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Donaldson
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Dixon
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Salomao
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Cameron
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use / Q000633:toxicity*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005123:Eye / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D005134:Eye Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D000069283:Rituximab; D014822:Vitreous Body
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000069283:Rituximab